


Cat's Got Her Tongue

by Bluekip, Rainboq



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Gay Panic, Sexual Tension, Sorry Not Sorry, There's some smut now, also pawprints, brief amberprice, eyes emoji, idk how to tag!, it's just pricefield cuteness, non-sexual nudity but i mean, pricefield, very much inspired by chloe and the beast, werecat au, will add more later uuuuh, william still dies tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:20:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 50,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25212307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluekip/pseuds/Bluekip, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainboq/pseuds/Rainboq
Summary: Chloe’s heavy eyelids opened slowly; she squinted her eyes as the morning was too bright. She felt her eyes burn after crying all night – something she’s used to by now. She sighed and reached a hand below her bed to grab a joint. She tucked it between her lips and lit it up with her lighter before tossing it next to the bed and exhaling smoke. She wanted to reach a hand and dip it in her cat soft fur like she always does on a wake-and-bake morning but instead of fur she felt skin… Human skin.Chloe turned her head to her side and her eyes fell on a girl. A naked girl sleeping next to her where her cat's supposed to be. With short brown hair and the cutest goddamn freckles splattered all over her skin randomly.
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price
Comments: 153
Kudos: 253





	1. Chapter 1

“Bye Mrs. Bee!” The 12-year-old shrieked as shoved past all the other kids, running ahead out of class. The teacher laughed, it’s understandable how confusing her name is. “Careful you don’t fall, Chloe!” Bea called after her, but she was already gone. Sprinting past everyone in the school’s hallways and out the front gates. Now while most kids sprint after ice-cream trucks and pigeons to scare them off, Chloe Price is sprinting to see a friend.

Said friend lives in an old alley right behind school, in a small worn cardboard box with an umbrella over its head. _Gotta make up an excuse so dad buys me a new umbrella._ She said, frolicking to the usual spot where her friend is waiting. Hearing the snow crunch beneath the weight of her shoes. It was snowing lightly today; Chloe remembers watching the snowflakes dance in the air before gently settling on the rim of her classroom window. She was worried sick that her friend was freezing in this cold weather. Hungry and alone waiting for Chloe to visit.

And as expected, there it is. Small, fluffy, scrawny creature. Wrapped up in a little fuzz ball to shield itself from the cold winds of December. Chloe sighed in relief when it saw its little belly rise with each quickened breath it took. She knelt next to its little home, her own handywork as she wrote ‘BACK OFF!!!!!’ in big bold letters on the box. She does recall seeing a bunch of kids try to toy with the poor kitten. Which is why she’s made it her duty to look after it.

“Hi.” She spoke softly, reaching out her hand. The brown tabby kitten sniffed her fingers with its nose and seemed to recognize the smell. Usually it would hop on fours and meow loudly demanding food and attention. But these last couple of days the little kitten is barely responsive. She doesn’t eat with her usual tiger of an appetite, doesn’t play aggressively with Chloe’s fingers so much she’d accidentally leave scratch or bite marks, and doesn’t purr like crazy when Chloe scratches beneath its chin.

Chloe’s heart dropped, even at a young age she understood what all of that meant. The kitten is dying. It must’ve gotten a cold. Of course. It’s December, it’s almost Christmas and it’s freezing! Moist vapor raced past Chloe’s lips as she let out a shaky breath. “I-I got you some food! You like hamburger, right?” She pinched a piece off her burger and gently laid it next to the frail thing. The kitten only shivered, barely opening its eyes. Chloe’s breath caught in her throat, “Hey, get up. C’mon!” She nudged the kitten. Who only weakly licked her finger in response, but remained unmoving. “No!” Chloe’s voice trembled. She sniffed and fought back the tears in her eyes. She shook her head, forcing back any idea that told her this kitten is done for.

“I’m not giving up on you!” She choked, only when she scooped up the kitten with her hands did she realize how cold the kitten’s body was. She took her scarf off her neck and wrapped it around the kitten then cradled it in her arms and sprinted home. “You’ll be okay!” She sniffed, “I promise.”

* * *

She raced into the house the moment Joyce answered the door. She didn’t even say hi or bother getting her shoes off. Didn’t bother hugging her dad hello. She rushed into the living room where the chimney stood, fire brewing within. She kneeled and laid down her blue scarf.

“Chloe what on earth were you running for?!” Joyce exclaimed, William following suit.

Chloe’s shoulders trembled, her back turned to her parents. She whipped her face to them and inhaled through her nostrils, her lips fighting a big ole pout. “D-Dad..” She croaked. William rushed in to hug her, not knowing what’s wrong. “Dad it’s not breathing-“ Chloe managed between tears. Her face red from either the cold, the crying or both. Nevertheless, her father holds her tightly and strokes her hair and whispers words of encouragement as his eyes trail down to the little creature huddled in the blue scarf.

“Oh, dear…” Joyce mumbled when she approached the two.

Chloe tore herself from William’s hug and looked at her parents with desperate eyes, “It’s just sleeping right dad?!” She sniffed.

The parents remained silent, looking at each other not knowing what to tell her. The little kitten is obviously a hopeless case. Another perfect example of how cruel nature is. But how do you teach this to a stubborn, emotional 12-year-old like Chloe?

“Sweetie,” Joyce started, “Sometimes things just don’t…” She shook her head.

“It’s almost Christmas! Don’t miracles happen on Christmas, right daddy?” She pleaded, looking at William with urgency. He just looked into her eyes and smiled and nodded, “Right you are.” He said. He stood up and went to the kitchen followed by a confused Joyce.

“William what did you-“

“Chloe! Go get your mom’s warm blanket from the closet!” William called. He’ll be damned if he lets his daughter cry like this in Christmas. He took out the milk bottle from the fridge and poured some into a small pot and turned the oven on beneath it. Joyce helped keep an eye on the kitten while the two worked. Chloe came back with such a hurry she missed a step running down the stairs and landed on her knees but stood up like it was nothing and moved next to the kitten. She placed the blanket over it and saw her dad place a small plate of warm milk next to it.

Nothing left to do other than watch. Her heart thumping loudly in her ears as she brought her bruised knees to her chin and hugged them. Eyes carefully watching the brown tabby tucked underneath the blanket. Joyce and William were sitting next to her on either side, exchanging worried looks.

There was no movement coming from the kitten at first.

Then Chloe thought she saw it move its little nose.

Then an ear flicked slightly.

Chloe’s eyes widened. After 30 minutes full of anticipation the kitten opened its blue eyes and sniffed, breathing quickly as it moved its head around.

Chloe let out a shriek that caused both parents to bolt back to the living room after they’ve given up and decided to talk in their bedroom.

“Chloe! What’s wrong?!” William panicked, kneeling next to his daughter who stood up and bounced about, laughing wildly. “Daddy it’s back!! It’s moving, it’s drinking the milk!! I told you!!” She cheered. William laughed looking back at Joyce, who sighed in relief and stumbled back when Chloe lashed out her arms and pulled her mother’s waist into a tight hug.

“I wanna keep it!” She grinned.

“Chloe, I think a cat is a bit too much for-“

“Please pleeeaase!!” Chloe’s begged, bouncing in her place. “I’ll do anything- I won’t ask for anything on Christmas! I’ll do all the chores! I’ll even take out the trash when I’m asked to!” She blabbered. William looked back at her from where he is next to the kitten, lapping at the milk hungrily then looked up at him with big azure-blue eyes.

“Alright but-“ He raised a finger, interrupting Chloe’s shrieks of excitement.

“You understand that having a cat around is a big responsibility. Right?”

“I know, I know already!” Chloe frolicked back to the kitten, lying on her stomach beside it and patting its head, hearing it purr.

“You’ll have to wash it, clean up after it, take it to the vet if it gets sick-“

“Dad! I get it!” Chloe grinned, laughing as the kitten tried licking her hair but panicked when it got stuck in its tongue.

William sighed and got up, “Okay kiddo, first thing tomorrow we’ll pay a visit to pet-co. Get her some supplies.”

Oh right. It was a little she-cat. Precious, brown tabby with the most beautiful blue eyes that slow blinked at Chloe. Sarah from school told her that when her cat slow blinks at her, it means it loves her. So, Chloe slow blinked back at the little cat. “I love you too. I won’t let anything happen to you, okay?” She whispered. A little secret promise only between her and the kitten. Who only purred and rubbed its face against her nose.

“Welcome home, Max.” Chloe chuckled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As loveable as Max can be, she can also be fiesty and sassy. Especially when Rachel's around for some reason.

Chloe was 14 when her dad died. He walked out that day promising to return with mother from the Sav-Mart and cracked a stupid joke about saving a queen or whatever. Doesn’t matter. He did not come back. Instead, Chloe saw her mother stumble into the door and hold her tight and weep. She did not understand at first. But when she saw the police officers she knew something was wrong.

The world has taken her father and a part of her heart with him. It left a gaping hole in her chest that she couldn’t fill. Not with booze, or boys, or girls or drugs or whatever. There wasn’t a night that would go by without Chloe crying herself to sleep. Nothing felt real. Nothing felt permanent after William left. Max, now 2 years older, would climb up her bed and snuggle her face. The ticklish feeling of her soft fur beneath Chloe’s nose was the only thing that grounded her to reality, that shielded her from the horrible nightmares that haunted her every restless night. She’d grasp at the cat and burry her head in her belly and cry silently, Max’s silent purrs and gentle nips on her earlobe telling her that she’s here.

She’s not in a car hurling towards her doom.

She’s not going to die.

William’s gone, but she’s still alive. She’s still here.

Fluoxetine helped. Pop a pill and fix her brain. The rolled joint between her fingers kept her euphoric, happy and relaxed even if it lasted a moment. Max would just curl up into a ball next to her on the bed. Her hand gently splayed over her back, feeling her soft fur beneath her fingertips. Hearing her purr as music played from the HiFi.

* * *

Chloe’s doing bad at school. She hates it there, everybody gives her the dead-father-girl treatment and she’s sick of it. Her grades dropped but she couldn’t give a fuck. It even escalated when she met the school’s most popular girl, Rachel Amber. Surprisingly enough, Rachel wasn’t like those other Blackhell snobs. She wasn’t fake, she was also fucked up in her own way but she kept striving. She was Chloe’s anchor, her angel in Chloe’s words. They were gathering money to leave behind this shithole of a town, put it behind their backs and leave.

“Destination LA, baby!” Chloe would cheer and revel in Rachel’s laughter.

Although, admittedly, spending time with Rachel in the junkyard meant there’s less time to look after the cat. And between her sneaking off to meet Rachel and Joyce’s constant working, Max was left with her step-dick David. Who hates cats and is allergic. She’d come home and find Max’s bowl empty, the tabby cat mewling loudly in hunger and she’d get into another fight with David that usually ended with “This cat is your responsibility but like everything else you fuck it up, Chloe!”

To make matters even worse, Max is even showing a little bit of attitude to Rachel. Her sassy behavior get ten times worse when Chloe brought Rachel back from a date to the movies. The girls stumbled into her room, drunk and all over each other. Locked in a heated kiss as they devoured each other’s’ lips. Chloe was about to slip Rachel’s flannel off her shoulders when the blonde yelped and stumbled into Chloe’s arms.

“Shit, Rach chill it’s just me-“

“No, Chloe, Fuck!” Rachel hissed, glaring daggers at the brown tabby who stood with her back arched so high she looked feral, the most menacing growl taking over her face. Chloe has never seen Max act like this before. Nevertheless, the hissing and the growling emanating from the feline as she swiped again at Rachel’s ankle. Rachel almost kicked her in fear as she stumbled back.

“Holy shit, sorry!” Chloe stammered, grabbing Max with both hands and lifting her up. She had to use both arms to restrain the cat.

“What the fuck’s wrong with her? She’s never done this before.” Rachel winced, realizing her foot had a bleeding scratch mark.

“I-I don’t know- usually she’s so friendly and timid I don’t-“

 _Hissss!!!_ Max bared her front teeth, ears pinned back against her skull.

“Chloe, just, keep her out we can’t have her in the room right _now_.” Rachel rolled her eyes.

“What? Oh- Uh… Sure um…” Chloe mumbled, her face on fire with realization of what’s going to happen tonight. She won’t deny she’d been having feelings for Rachel for a while now, so tonight’s a dream come true.

Bare feet thumped over the floor as Chloe walked into the living room, she let Max down and sighed looking at her. Max looked up with the most innocent look on her face, she tilted her head and meowed, headbutting Chloe’s knuckles and purring.

Chloe told her to stay before rushing upstairs. But before the girls could even continue, they heard scratch marks and loud mewling from behind the door. It was honestly annoying, Chloe had to open the door and give Max a little pap! On the head. She usually does this to let Max know she’s doing something bad. And usually she understands and quits it, but now? It got worse because it sounded like Max was jumping around, pushing stuff over the shelves and cabinets and knocking things off the table.

In fact, it got so weird that the girls jolted when a loud crash can be heard. If her parents weren’t out visiting friends over they would’ve freaked out by now!

“Fucking shit!!” Chloe hissed, getting off the bed with only a bra and her jeans. She hurried down the stairs and found the culprit. Brown tabby in all her glory, perched over the kitchen counter and oh god the floor is a mess!!

The liquor bottle was the victim apparently. Shattered into hundreds of small little shards. This will leave a wine stain bigger than the one Chloe got in trouble for when she was a kid taste-testing wine for the first time. And it was enough to get Chloe fuming.

“That’s it!” She said. Max’s pupils turned to thin slits and she attempted to bolt, but Chloe grabbed her just in time and brought her up to her chest. Max wriggling around like crazy and mewling. “Fuck- Stop!!” Chloe growled at the cat as it tried to paw at her face. She opened the door to the backyard and let Max go into the grass. The cat turned to her, head low, eyes pleading.

“You must be pretty proud of yourself now huh?” Chloe sneered, obviously irritated with all the mess she has to clean up now instead of fucking the girl of her dreams. “Fucking, piece of-“ Chloe muttered, sliding the door closed loudly. Despite the tinge of guilt and worry in her chest at the sounds of Max clawing at the door begging to be let back in, she chose to go upstairs and ignore the mess for now.

* * *

_Maw!!_

_Scratch, scratch, scratch._

_Mrowww!!_

Chloe fluttered her eyes open, breathing slowly. Her skin sticky with sweat despite the cold October weather outside. Chloe’s eyes trailed to Rachel, nestled in her arms sleeping soundly. She smiled to herself, you really struck gold Price. She thought as she brushed a wild strand of her hair back behind an ear. She stirred in her sleep but didn’t open her eyes.

The booming sound of thunder did the job though. She jumped a little and sent Chloe laughing.

“Relax, dummy it’s just thunder!” She cackled.

“Fuck it startled me.” Rachel laughed along, displaying her perfect pearl-white teeth. Then the laughter died out as did her smile, “Wait – Chloe, didn’t you put the cat outside?”

Chloe’s eyes snapped wide. Realization dawned upon her: Max is out there in the backyard in the middle of a fucking thunderstorm. Those sounds of destress weren’t a dream, that was her crying out.

“Shit!!” Chloe rolled off the bed and threw on whatever clothes she found lying about on the floor. She raced down the stairs and pried the door to the backyard open, fully expecting to see the brown tabby but… She wasn’t there. Her heart nearly stopped when she scanned the backyard for Max.

_Underneath the patio chairs?! No._

_Somewhere in the old playground? Shit, shit…_

Chloe swallowed dryly, heart racing and stomach churning with anxiety. _Where could Max have gone to?!_

“Rachel she isn’t there! I gotta find her!” Chloe called, Rachel walked down the stairs in her underwear only, sleepy but still concerned. “Wait what? Chloe, you can’t! There’s a fucking storm outside!-“

“Rachel Max is out there and she’s probably scared as fuck!” Chloe heaved, tears already rolling down her cheeks. “I gotta go!” That was the last coherent thing she said before she ran out the house in the weirdest hour in the night, drenched in the rain. With no car at her disposal she had to sprint around in the streets like a mad woman calling out Max’s name. She was no where to be found; the storm must’ve scared her off.

 _Chloe you piece of shit… You utter piece of shit! You know she’s scared of storms and you leave her outside like this!_ She choked in her own tears, looking around in the dark. _Where the fuck is she?_

A moment of silent took over her, her mind running through all possibilities. There was one place she and Max knew too well. One last safe resort Max could’ve gone to. And luckily it wasn’t too far. Chloe started jogging back to her old middle school, to that all too familiar alley reeking with the stench of garbage. 

There she was, much like that cold day on December. In the same cardboard box, under the same worn out Umbrella that barely sheltered her from the rain. Curled up in a ball, shivering in the cold. Chloe could hear her heart tear apart looking at her like this. Her best friend, the only one who’d stayed with her all these years out here, shivering in an old box rotting in some alleyway. She cursed at herself, she would never forgive herself if anything had happened to Max.

Chloe knelt gently next to the old box, the same way she did when she was little. She sniffed and reached out a hand. Max must’ve heard her because her head jerked up in alarm, though she visibly relaxed when Chloe’s fingers scratched her cheek and under her chin. _Her favorite spot_ , Chloe chuckled.

“Hey girl,” She sniffed and carried her gently. _Oh, Max, you’re so soaked…_

Both Chloe and Max returned home drenched from head to toe, or paw. Rachel made them both something warm to drink and brought them blankets. Chloe gave hers to Max, the thought of her going through hypothermia again sending shivers down Chloe’s spine. She will never let anything happen to Max, after all, she did promise.

That night, Max nestled between the two girls, curling closely to Chloe. The 17 year-old falling asleep to her purring peacefully, and she knew all was right with the world for once.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is a rather big cat.

Max is a big cat.

An average female cat size is about 8-10 inches, 20 to 25 cms usually. Max on the other hand, grew to an astounding 37 pounds, nearly 4 feet in length! The vet said there wasn’t anything abnormal in the reports, perhaps Max was one of the few unique giant cats.

To give a visual, Max’s paw is easily the size of Chloe’s palm. Picking Max up is not easy anymore because she weighed approximately like a 4-year-old kid instead of a small cat.

Chloe did not mind, this meant Max gives the best fluffy cuddles of all time. And when she purrs on Chloe’s chest (which surely suffocates her) Chloe can feel her ribs vibrate with the cat’s little noises of happiness. It was the best feeling, having a unique cat like Max.

One of the many troubles of having a gigantic domestic cat was the shower time. Of course, Max gets easily scared so she’d always make a fuss in the bath. Chloe, with a towel draped over one hand, a cat shampoo in the other approached Max with a shit eating grin.

“Hey Maxie-Max!! Guess what time it i-HEY!” She dashed after the giant, who sped through the house like wildfire. It was hilarious watching her freak out and flail all four limbs in her attempts to escape. She bumped into the table, tripped over David’s slippers and ran upstairs to get away from Chloe who was howling with laughter, following right behind her.

With nowhere left to go Max cowered underneath Chloe’s desk, even went as far as to give a little hiss but stopped when Chloe gave her a look, “Max, you haven’t taken a shower for weeks now. You stink!”

“Maw!”

“Don’t speak to me like that young lady! To the bath with you!”

And so, as fate would have it, here’s Max. Drenched again. Fur clinging to her skin as Chloe carefully pours water over her, minding the head. Of course, they weren’t in the bathroom. With a big cat like Max they needed more space, so they’re making shower time outside in the backyard a thing now. Max flailed around the big plastic bowl they’ve gotten her and meowed loudly when Chloe tried to rub shampoo on her.

“Ugh – Settle down! Shit, you’ve gotten me all soaked!” Chloe huffed in annoyance. Bubbles reaching her elbows, her shirt dripping with water. “You look so stupid right now, it’s adorable.” She laughed. Max grumbled. The moment Chloe turned her head to grab her phone and snap a pic, she bolted. Chloe shrieked, she got water all over her now, and lots of shed fur.

“Max!!” Chloe half screamed; half laughed. She chased after her cat in the yard like a kid would with a hose in her hand, spraying water everywhere and chortling when Max gave a loud mewl and hiss. Soon enough the two were wet and dirty with mud and grass clinging to them, so Chloe just decided to take a shower with Max too. Surprisingly, Max was calm enough to share this shower with Chloe. And it wasn’t their first shower together anyway. Although, with Max’s size, it was hard to move around without accidentally stepping over her paw or tail.

It’s never a dull moment with Max around.

But happiness was not permanent. Chloe of all people should know that. And it’s ironic too. How Rachel turned out to have been banging their drug dealer Frank behind her back. And that big gaping hole in Chloe’s chest returned, bigger than ever. Haven’t you learned your lesson yet, Price? Everyone leaves you eventually.

Chloe exploded with anger, got in a heated argument with Rachel and left on very bad terms… She went back to the junkyard and trashed the place, knocking over whatever she can see. Breaking window cars, toppling over wooden poles and structures, kicking barrels and cursing at the top of her lungs because she thought she finally figured it out. She also thought she had calmed down a couple of days later and just wanted to stay in touch. But Rachel replied with something that went along the lines of _“I’m a Leo, I don’t take shit from no one.”_ And mentioned her moving out to LA with Frank.

Chloe did not sleep that night.

She felt the familiar feeling of soft fur in her arms again, Max nuzzled her head against her chin as she bawled her eyes out. “Max,” She croaked, the cat responded with a soft “Mrr…” rubbing her gigantic head against Chloe’s cheek. “Everybody leaves in the end.” Chloe’s chest heaved, she clenched her teeth and cursed. “You’re the only one I’ve got left, Max.” Chloe’s voice collapsed, shattered as she clung tightly to her cat. Max nuzzled her head and refused to leave her side all night. Chloe wouldn’t have it otherwise.

* * *

Chloe’s heavy eyelids opened slowly; she squinted her eyes as the morning was too bright. She felt her eyes burn after crying all night – something she’s used to by now. She rolled over to her back and stared at the ceiling, the shadows dancing across the walls as sunlight poured from her window. She sighed and reached a hand below her bed to grab a joint. She tucked it between her lips and lit it up with her lighter before tossing it next to the bed and exhaling smoke. She wanted to reach a hand and dip it in Max’s soft fur like she always does on a wake-and-bake morning but instead of fur she felt skin… Human skin.

Chloe turned her head to her side and her eyes fell on a girl. A naked girl sleeping next to her with short brown hair and the cutest goddamn freckles splattered all over her skin randomly. Having a beautiful naked girl next to her would’ve felt hella nice had it not been for the fact that Chloe does not _remember_ having anything to do with her. Chloe got off the bed wearily, confused and lost in her own mind trying to find a memory to link to this girl but she can’t.

She’s certain she’s never seen her before but what the fuck is she doing here?!

She started to panic, is she already high? Did she hook up last night and get so wasted? But that’s impossible, she can’t do that so quickly after Rachel…

She ran a shaky hand through her electric blue hair. She was deep in thought she didn’t notice the girl stir and let out a sleepy noise. The freckled girl sat up, leaning on her elbows as she looked around. Her face froze and her eyes, those beautiful, familiar azure-blue eyes snapped wide and Chloe could’ve sworn her pupils became thin slits of black.

“Uh hi?” Chloe managed. Feeling so weird, it’s like she’s seen this girl before but for the life of her she cannot remember!!

The girl looked at her hands and her face paled, she shrieked and jumped back, crashing against the floor. Getting the blankets tangled up in her limbs as she flailed wildly.

“Holy shit!!” Chloe rushed to see her, on her back for a minute then in a matter of seconds on all fours. She recovered with such speed it was mind boggling. The girl backed away into a corner, hyperventilating.

“Whoa – Whoa calm down what’re you-“ Chloe raised her arms slowly. She approached the frightened girl and offered her a hand. The brunette looked up at her with confusion.

“Aren’t you gonna like – stand up, do you want help or… Uh-“ Chloe felt her entire body burn crimson when the girl, adorably enough, did not understand the gesture. Instead of grabbing her hand, the brunette just rested her head against Chloe’s palm. It was so weirdly intimate; Chloe’s hand automatically tucked a strand of chocolate brown hair behind her ear and found her fingers trail her jawline. The brunette closed her eyes silently and smiled contently. Her body relaxed; her shoulders slouched as she leaned into Chloe’s hand. Trusting.

Chloe has never felt like this before, here she is with short-term amnesia apparently. Touching a girl’s face as if it’s the first time she’s ever done this before. Her fingertips buzzing against this girl’s soft skin and –

Purring.

Chloe hears purring.

She squints her eyes with confusion, and for some reason, maybe motor memory from cuddling Max too much, her hand went underneath the girls chin and scratched. The purring got louder with every breath the girl in front of her took. Chloe’s other hand reached hesitantly and awkwardly towards the girl’s chest. She touched her sternum with her knuckles and felt the girl’s bones vibrate as the purring got more distinct.

Realization dawned upon Chloe’s face.

“Max?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max isn't afraid of storms anymore.

“Chloe?! Are you alright up there? I heard something crash-“

“Shit – I-I’m fine!” Chloe immediately grabbed Max’s wrist and stood her up. The poor girl wasn’t used to those weird, long feet her knees wobbled and she fell directly into Chloe’s arms. Chloe stammered and basically dragged the clueless girl into the closet as the banging on her door got louder.

“Chloe! Open this door! That’s an order!” David growled.

“In a minute! I’m changing, that fucking alright with you!?” Chloe snapped. She sat Max in the closet, tangled in the bedsheets thankfully. “Just – Stay here okay?!” She said in a hushed voice. Max’s eyes darted around in confusion, but she nodded.

_Good, so she can understand me._

Chloe barely opened the door to her room when David pushed past her, forcing his way in. Looking around like a mad bull.

“The fuck’s wrong with you man?!” Chloe sneered.

“You took too long to answer.” He replied, smelling the air.

“You’re so fucking paranoid, I was only changing!”

“Yeah. Combat will do that to you.” He said. “Is that grass?” He pointed at Chloe’s joint and she winced internally. In her panic she forgot to throw it out. But you can’t get rid of the smell anyway so; busted.

“You know I don’t like dopers in my house.” He growled.

“Too bad this is my house too fucker.” Chloe sat on her bed, crossing her legs. “Now get out of my room.”

“What was that loud thud I heard?” David crossed his arms. “I just fucking fell off the bed! The fuck’s wrong with you? Get out!” She stood up, gesturing towards the doors. David sighed irritably, “Your mother will hear about this.” He showed her the rolled joint. “And you’re gonna get in trouble for this.”

And with that he left the room. Chloe kicked the door closed behind him, intentionally making it slam loudly. She flipped David off and cursed beneath her breath before returning to her closet and opening it. Max, like a broom, fell right into Chloe’s arms again. The taller girl staggered but held her ground and helped Max to bed.

“Okay, shit, so…” She sat down next to her. “What the fuck is this?” She gestured at all of her. Max looked so confused and scared, she just shook her head and shrugged.

“The fuck – You’ve got no idea how you’ve turned into this? Like… A werecat thing?”

“Wwww…” Max squinted her eyes, puckering her lips and _oh –_

_Oh._

Chloe found it unbearably adorable the way Max wanted to copy what she says. 

“Wwwwerrree…” Max copied Chloe’s words, trying to mimic the sound she just heard but this whole new mouth thing is very weird.

Chloe chuckled, she scooted closer. “Can you say Chloe?”

Max knitted her eyebrows and tilted her head. Her eyes, those cerulean blue eyes focused with such intensity at Chloe’s lips it was killing the bluenette from the inside.

“Chlo – E.” Chloe pronounced slowly, making sure every syllable is clearly formed and her mouth move visibly enough for Max to mimic.

To her surprise, Max moved even closer their hips touched. This did weird things to Chloe’s mind, but Max seemed unbothered. _Right, she might not yet understand the concept of personal space._ Max raised her hand and did something that sent Chloe’s heart on fire. Her fingertips gently brushed against Chloe’s lips,

“… Chloe.” Chloe repeated, Max felt her lips move and opened her mouth. Trying to copy the sound.

“Ch… Khhh…” She squeezed. She sounded like she was going to throw up. Chloe laughed throwing her head back before glaring with concentration into Max’s eyes. “Chloe.” She nodded her head.

“Ch..Looo..Eee.” Max’s voice was so soft and soothing. Chloe could listen to it all day.

“Chloe.” Max gave a feline grin that twisted Chloe’s insides. And the way she said her name, _dear god._

Chloe chuckled, feeling Max’s hand play with her lips for some reason. “Fuck yeah.” She nodded.

“Well uh- since you’re suddenly and mysteriously turned human I guess you need clothes.” She stammered, getting up and looking for anything suitable in her closet. Max let out a confused noise.

“No Max, we can’t have you running around naked.” Chloe thought. She took out a generic graphic tee and jeans, underwear too. She was about to give them to Max before realizing…

_Shit. Forgot she practically doesn’t know the first thing about being human._

“Um so… Listen, having these clothes on all the time is a must.” Chloe waved the clothes dangling from her fist. Max looked confused but nodded slowly. Chloe helped Max dress and looking at the result – Max looks like your normal hipster shy teenager. If you put aside the fact that she cannot even form a single coherent word.

Chloe’s stomach rumbled wildly and so did Max’s. Chloe laughed when Max panicked and looked at her stomach then back at her as if saying _‘Help!! What is that noise!!’_.

“Relax, it just means your hungry.” Chloe explained, “C’mon let’s get you some food. Real human food.”

Chloe peaked her head outside the window and sighed, “Alright. We gotta sneak outta here. Doubt David will make you feel welcome.” She said. She sat on the window frame and jumped down first. Landing roughly as she stumbled and nearly fell on her face but caught her balance eventually.

“Come on! I’ll catch y-“

_Thump!_

She stared agape at Max, landing perfectly on her feet and standing up like it was nothing. Giving her a big smile.

_Oh right, cat reflexes and agility and shit…_

* * *

“You really like hamburgers, don’t you?” Chloe laughed, watching Max devour poor burger with her usual big appetite. Max nodded vigorously, her cheeks full and her lips pulled into a broad smile.

“Burger king charm.” Chloe said, pulling one knee up to her chest as she sat back in her truck. Thankfully, Max did not have motion sickness and rather enjoyed the ride. And if Chloe thought Max looked cute fussing happily over a burger, then she’d have to admit she underestimated the girl. Because Max beamed when she tasted fries for the first time. The whole packet was emptied quicker than Chloe ever thought was humanly possible.

“Exploring new things with those new taste buds huh?” Chloe laughed; Max nodded again. “That good?” She asked.

“That Good!” Max grinned. She’s getting better at copying words already.

After dinner, the two girls took a walk in the junkyard. Surrounded by broken down cars and random… well… Junk.

“How’d you think you turned? I mean… Were you always human?” Chloe asked.

Max shrugged.

“So, this is your first time turning?”

Another shrug.

Chloe sighed, it’s all so confusing. “Can you turn cat again?”

Max’s eyes drifted to the sky as she seemed to be pondering the question. First, she nodded with a smile, then the smile died off as confused took over her expression, so she shrugged while nodding. Then she admitted being completely clueless by shaking her head with an apologetic look.

“Don’t worry we’ll figure this out, I guess. I hope?” Shit even Chloe’s getting lost.

* * *

Turns out, Max can turn cat again. Chloe figured it could be an emotional thing because when she first heard the loud sounds of the train approaching, she got on all fours and instead of the short cute brunette stood the brown tabby, looking scared and alarmed. Chloe laughed and reassured her that it was just a moving vehicle just like her truck. The cat shifted back to human, full naked mode. Chloe looked back at the clothes left behind from where Max was standing. Thankfully unlike the generic werewolf stories Chloe hears, Max’s shifting does not rip her clothes because compared to a human, Max wasn’t a big beast. Just an oversized, giant friendly cat. But it was still a bother helping her put them on again.

The sky above them threatened to rain again. Heavy, dark clouds looming in the sky with distant sounds of thunder that were enough to make Max panic all over. They were in the truck when Max suddenly grasped Chloe’s hand with a vice-like grip. Chloe winced but looked at Max with worry, “What? The sky?” She peered from her window. _Oh fuck, looks like another thunderstorm_.

“You’re scared shitless of storms, aren’t you?” Just when Chloe said this, she could hear the patter of heavy droplets of rain crashing against the roof of the truck. The world around them become moist as the sky started its downpour.

Max nodded to Chloe’s question and pulled her knees to her chest. The rain didn’t seem to scare her, but whenever thunder rumbled lowly her body would get stiff and she’d close her eyes and breathe sharply through her nose. Chloe bit her lip with guilt and _whose fault do you think it is, Price?_ She moved closer to the brunette and pulled her with one arm into a hug. At first, Chloe thought Max wouldn’t understand the concept, but the brunette quickly latched her arms around Chloe’s waist and melted into the security of Chloe’s arms. Her entire body jolted when thunder roared loudly.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Chloe stroke her hair, swaying them back and forth. “It’s gonna be okay, it’s just rain, Max.” She chuckled softly. She pulled back with a grin, “Thunderstorms can be hella fun, watch.” Chloe moved away from Max’s grip, laughing at her obvious sound of disapproval as she kicked the door open and sprung from her truck. She backed away; arms spread in the air as she let the rain soak her. She let out a shriek of excitement as she kicked her leg in a puddle and fist pumped the air, “Fuck yeah!” She screamed. Blue hair sticking to her pale skin, eyes wild with fire in them as she turned to Max and beckoned her to come out.

“You gotta try it!”

Thunder boomed in the distance. Max flinched and sunk into her seat, shaking her head wildly.

“Come on Max!” Chloe called over the heavy sounds of rain, “You gotta trust me!”

Max seemed apprehensive yet curious. She’s had so many bad experiences with the rain and thunderstorms, but from the way Chloe makes it look, it’s not all that bad. This is Max’s first rain in this new body after all. She extended a hand and worried it’d feel icky and clingy like she thought it would, but instead she felt water droplets fall on her skin and sliding off with ease. It felt rather refreshing. Like bath time but noisier.

The feeling of water on her skin was something so foreign to her.

She carefully set one foot out and, the moment she did, her instincts kicked in and she found herself violently trying to shake water off her leg much like she did in cat form. It sent Chloe bursting in laughter. Max chuckled a little and walked carefully towards Chloe, eyes scanning the sky but barely catching a glimpse before getting pricked in the eyeballs with those menacing rain drops.

Max leaped into Chloe’s arms in an instant when thunder cracked the air, almost splitting the heavens apart. Her yelp drowned beneath its mighty volume as Chloe threw her head back in laughter. “You’re alright Max! You’re fine!” Chloe’s arm wrapped round her waist and hoisted. It caught Max off guard, scaredy cat, but she couldn’t fight the sheepish giggles she released as Chloe spun her around in the rain. Giving out loud ‘Whoop Whoop!’ as she went.

* * *

“My god, have you two been out playing in the rain like children?!” Joyce gasped after answering the door. Chloe was holding the brown tabby cat in her hands, grinning like crazy for some reason.

“Hey mom!” She chirped, walking in.

“Chloe, you’ve gotten Max drenched, honey! You know she’s frightful of storms-“

“Not anymore. We worked on that didn’t we Max?” Chloe looked down at her feline friend who replied drowsily, “Mrah.”

“She got a little sleepy though.” Chloe chuckled. Joyce sighed shaking her head, William would’ve been thrilled to see Max and Chloe grow so close like this.

“Go get your darn clothes in the washer then.” Joyce shoo’d her, “Go on, get!”

Ten minutes later, Chloe and Max were chilling on the bed. Max, in all her fluffy glory curled up in a ball on Chloe’s chest. No matter how big she gets, she’ll always have a place in Chloe’s heart, literally speaking. Chloe had the hairdryer on, alternating between her and Max to dry them off. “Wild day today, huh?”

“Mprr..” Max’s voice came muffled, her muzzle buried in her paws. Her ear flicked as she stretched as the hot air from the hairdryer brushed past her fur.

Chloe switched it off and settled it on the nightstand next to her, listening to the sounds of the rain as the weather outside clamed down. “You’d never leave me, wouldn't you Max?” Chloe mumbled; her eyes locked at the ceiling of her room. Hearing Max’s gentle purrs as she slept soundly on her chest.

_You better not._


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max learns a few tricks and sees the mall for the first time.

Teaching a cat how to do tricks is hard. Especially a large cat like Max.

At first Max did not understand the whole idea. Why should she feel obliged to roll over? But then when a treat got involved the whole equation, Max got eager.

“Okay, girl, sit.” Chloe instructed, sitting on her bed with the bag of treats. Max eyed her with annoyance from the floor, she flicked her tail before sitting down with the grumpiest face she could muster.

“Good girl! Here’s your treat!” Chloe tossed a piece in the air and it fell right next to Max. Chloe fought the disappointment having not seen Max leap and catch it. Afterall she’s training a cat, not a lap dog. Max consumed the treat and sat back, observing Chloe as if saying, ‘What now?’

“Roll over, Maxie. Do a barrel roll!” Chloe motioned with her arms. Max watched her then lied down on her side and did as she asked. She jumped a little when Chloe shrieked, a bit too excited. “Fuck yeah I got the best cat in the world!!” She sung, swaying her shoulders a little.

“Maw!” Max demanded the treat to be given at once. Chloe obliged.

“Alright, last one.” Chloe got up and paced about, Max watched her curiously.

“The name’s Price. Chloe Price.” Chloe then whipped back and pulled a finger gun, “Bang!” She smirked.

Max blinked a few times. She groomed her paw and rubbed it all over her face.

“Aw come on Max we practiced this!” Chloe furrowed her eyebrows. “You lift your paws and you fall on your back like this.” Chloe swooned, and fell on her bell limply. Max copied her, lifting front paws a little and lying down cautiously on her back. She jumped again when Chloe let out another excited scream and went on her knees, scratching Max’s belly with the biggest childish grin on her face. “I got the smartest cat in the world!!” She sang.

Teaching a large cat to do tricks is draining. Teaching a human however, is a lot more complex.

“Say I was my mom, I’m walking around the house, I wanna do the dishes and I suddenly turn - !!” Chloe paced around in the junkyard, then stopped and quickly turned her body to the brunette. Who jerked her head in surprise, mouth stuffed with hamburger.

“No, Max you’re supposed to turn cat again.” Chloe sighed.

“Why?” Max asked, her vocabulary’s been expanding a lot. Especially her knowledge of curses, thanks to the company she keeps.

“Because mom and step-dick don’t expect to see a cute freckled girl in their kitchen at midnight. They expect to see cat Max. Big cat Max.”

Max sighed. One thing the pair learned about Max’s shifting is that it takes up a lot of energy and gets Max so hungry all the time.

“Come on, let’s do that again. If mom or step-douche are in the house, then…” Chloe’s voice trailed. Max settled the burger down next to her gently and hunched her back. Shifting back to cat Max, wriggling out of her human clothes. “Bprr.” Max looked up at Chloe.

“Good! Then, you and me we’re chilling in the house together, You…” She trailed off, waiting. Max’s hear flicked and she hunched her back again and human Max emerged. “That good?” She grinned. She’s certainly becoming chattier the more time she spends in human form. Chloe kneeled and hugged her tightly, “That’s very good!” She smiled and pulled back. “I promise, the second I get enough cash I’ll get us out of here.” She said.

“Where?” Max asked.

“I’ll get an apartment, someplace, somewhere it doesn’t matter. As long as I’ve got you.” Chloe handed her the shirt and stood up, scanning the area till Max gets dressed. Max looked down at the t-shirt in her hand, flustered a little. Another emotion she’s never felt before. Being human is so intriguing, all these new things she can feel and do. She looked up at Chloe, broad shoulders turned to her. She’s never wanted anything more than to be there for her. By her side through everything good or bad. Because Chloe was so shaken by the world it nearly broke her. Max wore her clothes and tapped Chloe’s shoulder, ready to leave.

* * *

“Mall?” Max rose a brow.

“Big place for selling stuff. You’re a friggin’ werecat Max! Do you realize how cool that is?” Chloe grinned.

“Uuhh..” Max looked up, confused.

“Like hella cool. You gotta look the part, y’know?” Chloe parked the truck outside the local mart. Big blue neon sign that said ‘The Mega Mall’ in bold letters. Chloe closed the door behind her and dropped the cigarette before stepping on it, exhaling smoke. She looked to her side at Max who stared at the mall with wide eyes and dilated pupils, mouth hung open. She looked bewildered at how big this place is.

“Just wait until you see the inside.” Chloe smirked, patting the petite girl’s back, urging her to follow.

Once inside, Chloe shoved her hands in her pockets and looked about. Picking out the cheapest stores that sell fashionable clothes. Real fashionable clothes. Not those pretentious hipster ones. She led Max inside one of her recommended punk stores, but Max did not like anything she suggested. She’d frown and shake her head at anything Chloe pointed at.

“Come on, Max! We’re talking Bad Religion here!” She pointed at a graphic tea of the band. Shrugged visibly cringed and looked away. “You’re unbelievable.” Chloe shook her head, “Fine I’ll get it for myself.”

Max observed with extreme curiosity the exchange between Chloe and the man behind a counter. It was bizarre! First, the man took the clothes and took out an object that beeped once for every item Chloe got. But that’s not what caught Max’s attention, it was the red light thingy hovering over the clothes. Her hand immediately flew to catch the red shining thing, but she surprisingly caught nothing and instead, the red glow was on her hand and it freaked her out!

“Excuse me?” The cashier rose a brow at Max who was too busy glaring daggers at the scanning laser of doom.

“Uh, ‘scuze my friend she’s um,” Chloe pulled Max’s hand off only for Max’s other hand to attempt to grab at the laser pointer, Chloe restrained her other arm. “She’s not uh… She’s not from around here y’know?” She said. The cashier boy sighed, “Foreigners.” He mumbled, scanning the rest of the items.

And things only got more interesting when the beeping stopped, and Chloe let go of Max’s arms and reached to her pocket. Treat? Max thought. But no, she got out something squarish and dug her fingers in it. Chloe produced green paper thing and gave it to the man. Max wanted to sniff the green paper, but the man snatched it out of Chloe’s hand and gave Max a side look before returning to his duty.

Chloe could barely hold her laughter, the moment they exited the shop she cackled. Max looked back at the cashier man, still observing him with piqued interest. “Max you killed me!”

“Kill?!” Max jumped at the word, she learned it from watching Chloe play video games. And when Chloe curses. She knows it means a bad thing.

“No, I meant like- figuratively speaking like…” Chloe chuckled. “It’s just an expression. I meant you were fucking hilarious back there. What’s gotten into you?!” She giggled, holding the bags of their newly acquired clothes.

“Shiny.” Max gestured with her hand, the same way she watched the man behind the counter use that beeping stick.

Chloe explained how it’s used to scan items and got into the whole buying and selling thing. It was so complicated. Humans are complicated. Max’s eyes drifted to a nearby store that caught her attention, there was a shirt on display that made her stop and stare. Chloe looked back, confused, “Something wrong?”

Max pointed towards the shop. Chloe looked where she’s pointing and groaned, “Max, Max no that’s for pretentious hipster artsy kids!” She complained. Max ignored her and walked ahead to the store and was taken back by everything in there.

Chloe won’t lie, she wasn’t surprised that this suits Max’s tastes. After all this is a stationary shop filled with notebooks, bags, laptop covers, keychains and a few shirts that only phonies wear. But here's Max, pointing at this pink Jane Doe shirt with big begging eyes that Chloe can’t ever bring herself to say no to. She sighed and nodded. Max gasped with a broad grin that showed her pearl-white sharp canines and a glint in her feline-like eyes as she grabbed the shirt.

They spent almost an hour in the shop, getting a whole new bunch of clothes for Max. All of them without an exception are just cutesy generic art student type clothes, but Chloe must admit, they suit Max so well. She seemed to have fun trying them on in the fitting room. Sure, Chloe had to restrain Max from things like wall decorative lights, or Christmas decorations but other than that, Max was a completely normal teenage girl with a passion for destroying anything shiny.

This time, Chloe decided it was best for Max to handle the payment procedure. Max was wracked with anxiety as she felt like all eyes were on her when she stepped up to the ‘cashier’.

“Good afternoon, Ma’am!” The kind girl grinned.

Max flapped her lips, not knowing how to reply. Her eyes darted around to look for Chloe who was watching her with a smug grin.

The brunette turned to the casher, clutching the bag of items closely to her chest. The cashier gave her a sympathetic look and offered her a hand. “Can I see your items please?” She smiled.

Max nodded quietly and handed her the bag, and out came the laser stick thingy. Beeping away like its no one’s business. Max’s eyes followed her formidable foe, she fought every single urge to grab at the laser thing again, she was glad when it was over.

“Alright, that’ll be 97 dollars and 25 cents please.” The sweet girl behind the counter grinned.

Max froze. She’s never heard those words before. What were those supposed to mean?

Well, suppose there’s only one thing to do. Max took the square soft thing Chloe gave her, called a wallet, and shoved it into the cashier’s hands. The girl’s eyes went comically wide and she stared with a dumbfounded expression at Max, who just smiled sheepishly.

“U-Um... Cash or card, ma’am?” The cashier asked, giving her back the wallet.

“Card,” Chloe interjected, holding back a laughter. Max glared at her; she knew Max would be too clueless to handle everything by herself, yet she let her do it anyway. She elbowed Chloe in the stomach causing her to burst into a flood of giggles.

“Sorry my friend’s not from around here, she can’t understand a word you’re saying.” Chloe explained.

“Ah, I see.” The cute cashier girl laughed nodding, “Where you guys from?” She asked, putting the card in the reader and offering it for Chloe.

“I’m from round here, she’s uh… Irish.” Chloe punched it some numbers and the reader beeped. The cashier girl tapped a few things on the computer. “What about you?” Chloe placed an elbow on the counter, giving her flirtatious look and a wolfish smile enough to make any girl swoon.

Something left a bitter taste in Max’s mouth when she saw the cashier girl laugh shyly at Chloe’s advances. A growl rumbled in the back of her throat as she stared at the girl. Chloe turned to her with confusion when she heard that and decided it was best to quit before Max pulls another Rachel incident.

“Alright, be seeing you ‘round.” Chloe grinned, gathering their stuff and waiting for the girl’s dazed, “Yeah.” Before throwing a wink her way. Max hurried next to her, looking back at the cashier girl blushing. She looked straight ahead with a little grump, throwing side glances at Chloe who looked onwards with a neutral face. Chloe caught Max’s gaze though and cocked a brow up her forehead, “What’s up?” She asked.

Max didn’t know how to respond. Out of all the few words she’d learned nothing can describe this strange new feeling, all she knew was that it wasn’t pleasant. It was the kind of feeling that puts your head on fire and your chest becomes tight and uncomfortable. And in Max’s case, it also makes her growl and hiss but she’s getting good at repressing it. She’s kind of scared Chloe would react the same way she did back when she disrupted her and Rachel’s sessions.

Being human has brought on so many new experiences for her, and this meant she can finally be with Chloe the way other human friends can. But she wished for more and it confused her. She wanted to ask Chloe about this. Because Chloe seems to know about everything! But something tells her it’s better to keep it to herself.

Though, Max was not herself. Even when they arrived home and Max switched back into cat mode, walking next to Chloe through the front door, these humane thoughts kept the cogs of her mind cranking. Trying to process and analyze what is it exactly that makes Chloe so alluring. And why does she stare when Chloe swipes her thumb against her lower lip and bites it when she’s deep in thought or angry or confused. And why does the very presence of Chloe next to her send large doses of happiness into her that makes her purr loudly and sleepily. It could be the simple fact that Max was just a cat, and cats feel that way towards their owners but now… Things are different.

Chloe’s not her ‘owner’. Chloe’s a friend. And they grew up together, just in different bodies. So maybe there’s more to that feeling than just domestic pet instincts?

“Hey Max?” Chloe’s voice called, sounding concerned. “C’mon girl you haven’t touched your food yet.” She scratched beneath Max’s chin. Max closed her eyes as this was her favorite spot. She looked up at Chloe, not hungry for once, which is surprising. Instead she just moved to her lap nearly making the girl stumble back, Max tends to forget her own size for a cat.

“Whoa, clingy much, Maximus?” Chloe smirked, stroking Max’s fur, pinching her little face and giving it a little shake, “You just want a little lovin’ don’t you?” She kissed the top of her head. Max purred and licked Chloe's nose, nothing else in the world is equivalent to the happiness she feels right now.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max learns how to skate.

Humans entertain themselves with dozens of peculiar things, according to what Max had learned.

When they’re not working or doing chores, they like to engage in fun activities. Joyce for example loves to cook new recipes, David spends countless hours in the garage – the forsaken room that Max was never allowed to enter as David kept kicking her out – doing who knows what, and Chloe… Chloe does a lot of things for fun.

Sometimes she smokes, Max has gotten used to the smell ever since she was young, so it wasn’t anything new. Sometimes she sits in front of this bright square thing with moving pictures, called a TV. Other times she’d dance to music and it’d get so loud that Max must cover her ears with her paws. But most of the times, Chloe’s never even home to begin with. It’s true that she takes Max to a lot of the places she visits like the junkyard and the mall, but Chloe had told Max that there are places she can’t really take her to because – according to her – they’re too intense.

Too overwhelming for Max, who’s still learning about the world.

Like this one place Chloe talks about, the ‘bar’ or ‘nightclub’. Max has no idea what those are. Other places are the ‘skatepark’ where Chloe takes her skateboard with her. Max knows a skateboard is just a plank on wheels basically, she doesn’t understand why it’s so fun.

Usually Max doesn’t hold Chloe back. She knows it’s unbearable at home with David and Chloe barking insults at one another. And sneaking out with Max is suspicious enough, so she lets her go.

What does Max do when Chloe’s not around?

As a cat Max has no responsibilities to bare and no chores to do. Today was no exception. Max woke up to Chloe’s empty room, it smelt like perfume and smoke and so Max knew that Chloe was gone for the day. Max stretched her paws and her back before hopping off the bed and padding her way out of the bedroom. From up here she can see Joyce in the kitchen and David on the couch watching TV. Carefully, Max hopped down the stairs and made her way to Joyce. She headbutted her head against her knee, as Max’s size easily made her about that tall.

Upon feeling something fuzzy and soft against her leg Joyce turned back with a warm grin, “Why good morning to you too, Max!” She bent over and scratched her head briefly. “Are ya hungry?”

“Mrah.” Max blinked. Flicking her tail. Yes, Joyce! I’m starving!

Joyce walked over to the cabinets and searched around, usually Chloe’s the one to feed Max but when she’s gone, she can trust Joyce with that job. The mother took out a big bag of cat food, Max got restless and her blue eyes followed the bag and the woman carrying it as she made her way to Max’s bowl and poured some of its contents. Max immediately dipped her head into the pile of crunchy cat food and began her feast.

When she was done, she stretched again and looked around. Joyce was now sitting next to David watching TV with him. Max trotted towards her and leaped onto her lap, causing David to jump.

“Oh, Max! You sneaky thing!” Joyce laughed as Max settled calmly in her lap while David freaked out.

“This goddamn cat! How big is she?!” He huffed.

“Oh, simmer down, David she’s a sweetheart.” Joyce nudged him. He sighed, “Well, keep it away from me or my allergies are gon’ kick in.” He shifted uncomfortably. Max yawned exposing her sharp feline teeth, not a care in the world as Joyce stroke her fur.

After a while Max was let out into the backyard. A fun place for Max to run and play. Or just lay in the sun lazily, like Max’s doing right now. On her side lying against the warm grass as she let the sunrays wash over her. Wondering what Chloe is up to right now, probably having tons of fun with her human friends. It’s a heavy weight in Max’s heart, but she tried not to think of it too much. Her ear flicked when she heard movement, she lifted her head lazily and caught the sight of a little bird. Hopping along the grass picking at the breadcrumbs that Joyce spreads every morning.

Her pupils dilated as instincts took over.

Food? Prey? Playmate maybe?

Aren’t you supposed to be in the sky?

Max got on all fours, her movements light as feather and quiet like the night as she observed the bird. She crouched; eyes fully focused on the winged creature as it dug its beak into its feathers. Max shifted her shoulders as she calculated her attack. It was a good 5 minutes of stillness; Max was patient and the bird was letting its guard down.

Max sprung into action with unmatched speed as she lunged towards the poor fellow.

When Chloe got home that night, Max padded towards her, chest puffed out in pride and tail held up high. She’s going to love this!

Though, Chloe looked more taken back and confused rather than jubilant when she kicked her boots off and noticed the gift Max had placed in front of her. The bird she saw this morning lying on its side, limp and unmoving.

“Holy fuck, Max!” Chloe’s eyes snapped wide, “Where did you- How-“ She backed away a little when Max nudged the bird closer to her feet. What? I’m offering you a gift, take it.

“Uh, thanks?”

‘Why does my cat bring me dead animals?’ Chloe searched on google.

* * *

The next morning Max woke to Chloe’s hand petting her back, she looked up lazily with a sleepy noise.

“C’mon Max let’s go,” Chloe wrapped a flannel shirt around her waist and fixed her beanie. For whatever reason, Chloe decided to take Max to the skatepark today. To Chloe, she thought that maybe it’s better to have Max indulge in some fun too. She also wanted an excuse to hang out with human Max, but she wouldn’t admit it out loud.

Max changed in Chloe’s truck to her brand-new clothes, her favorite pink Jane Doe shirt underneath a grey hoodie with a pair of jeans and black sneakers. Once they’ve arrived, Chloe approached the skating rail with her skateboard tucked beneath her arm. Max observed curiously as humans slid across platforms, jumping in the air, doing tricks. Humans do tricks too. It’s bizarre. Aren’t they scared of falling? What’s so fun about it?

“C’mon,” Chloe held Max’s hand and guided her closer to the skatepark, she threw the skateboard on the floor and flipped it, her right foot landing on top of its surface. “I’ll go first so you can see how it’s done.” She grinned, Max nodded and sat at the edge of the ramp looking down as Chloe swooped to the bottom on her skateboard like a bird of prey. It made the hair on Max’s neck stand with anticipation. Chloe swerving around people and other obstacles smoothly and effortlessly. The blue haired punk crouched and jumped up, lifting the skateboard with her just high enough for it to land on a metal railing and slide down with ease. She put her arms in the air for balance. Just watching her is so _thrilling_!

Chloe crossed her fingers for a trick she was still working on, she did a U-turn facing the platform on top of which Max was. She breathed in and out deeply, reading herself before pushing hard against the floor, gaining speed. She zoomed quickly nearing the curved platform and braced herself when she swung upwards, the board coming to a slow stop near the top. Chloe grabbed the board with one hand, and the edge of the ramp with the other lifting her legs and the board with them off the floor and holding that upside-down position for a second in the air. Her heart reveling in the bewildered expression painted on Max’s face. Chloe smirked at her before quickly positioning the board and her legs back on the platform and swinging down. She skidded to a stop and turned back to Max, catching her breath.

“Huh?!” She grinned opening her arms. Max was still speechless, a tint of pink on her cheeks. “C’mon down, it’s your turn, hippy!”

Max cannot for the life of her tell you whether the unbearable drumming in her chest was because of wobbly board or Chloe’s warm hand grasping hers tightly as she stood on the board. The entire time, she felt her face was hot, she doesn’t know why but she’s happy. And scared.

“Alright, the trick is-“ Chloe paused, still panting. “You keep your right foot on the board,” She patted one of Max’s legs. “And you push with your left.” She patted the other. Max gulped and did as she told, she wobbled around too much, but Chloe kept her in place. She extended her left foot and pushed lightly, sending her forward with Chloe walking next to her.

Riding a skateboard involved a lot of new terms for Max. Left, right, turn, lean, heel, foot, stop. Now that she’s human her world expanded infinitely and it’s all so mysterious and exciting. And best of all, she’s got Chloe next to her to show her how. After getting done with the basics, Chloe watched Max make her way with the skateboard. She was very good at skating in a straight line, but when it came to turns, she’d bump into people or objects and flush and panic because she cannot talk back too much. The only word escaping her lips ‘Sorry!! Sorry!’

Max even met some of Chloe’s human friends. Trevor, Justin and a few other names she can’t remember. They were all so good at skating and very fun too! Trevor and Justin kept fighting about which was hilarious to watch.

Chloe on the other hand, was having a moment of bittersweet realization.

She was alright at first, but when her friends asked for Max’s name, instead of Max timidly looking at her feet and letting Chloe answer for her, the brunette answered with a confident smile.

Then when Max was handed a water bottle, she did not struggle opening it by herself. She had it all under control.

And the last straw that broke the camel’s back, was when she saw Max borrowing one of her friend’s boards and riding it by herself. Smoothly making her way to and from the platforms. Wind gently blowing through her brown hair. The sweetest smile tugging at her lips. She watched her go and it was a lonesome thought that Max had just begun depending on herself.

And one of those days she won’t need Chloe. One day she, too, might leave Chloe behind. And the gaping hole would return, bigger than ever. Chloe froze in her place and felt her heart slow down; she felt an old wound bleed all over again. Her doubts interrupted when the group decided to call it a day and chill by the edge of the skate ramps.

“So, where you from, Max?” Trevor asked. Chloe was about to answer for her but was cut off by Max’s soft voice, “Irish.” She grinned.

Chloe’s heart sunk, “Ireland. It’s her first time here.” She chugged down some water. Trevor nodded, “She doesn’t have an accent though.”

“Cut the crap, Trev! You’ve watched too much Vikings episodes. Not everyone from Ireland has a thick Scottish accent, idiot!” Justin nudged him; the group laughed. Max did too although she didn’t understand what for. Her legs dangled on the edge of the platform.

“Your friend’s cute, highkey.” Trevor muttered, nudging Chloe. “She single?”

It was low enough for Chloe to hear, but with Max’s heightened senses, she heard it too. It flustered her to think a human boy found her cute. Chloe noticed Max’s blush and nervous side looks.

It irritated her for some reason.

“How should I know? I’m not her groupie.” Chloe shoved Trevor off a little too violently.

“C’mon Chlo! Work your wingman magic.” He chuckled while the group were busy talking about something else.

“Fuck off, Trev! Do it yourself.” The moment these words escaped Chloe’s lips, a ten-ton brick wall of regret came crashing down on her. She watched him ponder the possibilities and shrug, walking over to Max and sitting down next to her _. Shit, shit, shit_. Her grip tightened on the plastic water bottle and her heart leaped to her throat. She pretended everything was cool though.

“Hey!” Trevor grinned, adjusting his glasses.

“Hi.” Max swallowed. She couldn’t look him in the eyes, she was aware of his conversation with Chloe and she doesn’t know how she feels about that. She’s only ever interacted with males in her cat form before, and it was just them playing around. But now, here she is with a human boy who’s apparently interested in her and she doesn’t know how to handle this. Her eyes darted to Chloe who was looking away and she pleaded internally for her help.

“This your first time on the board?” He asked. Max nodded sheepishly. “You were really good at it though! Soon enough we’ll have do a nose slide or a tri-flip in no time!” He grinned. What the heck is he saying?! What’s a nose slide?

“Yeah.” Max chuckled nervously. She stared picking at the small pebbles on the floor and throwing them off. Hoping to distract herself.

“I could teach you some tricks if you’d like. Are you free anytime soon?” He asked.

“Max, I’m heading home. Want a ride?” Chloe interjected, lifting her skateboard. Good save. Max sighed in relief and got up, oh right… Trevor guy asked her a question, “Um…” Max’s mind flipped through any word that’s passable for an answer.

“Uh…” Yes or no, Max. Oh but he was so nice to her, she doesn’t want to disappoint him. “I…I’m busy.” Max nodded, pursing her lips. She’s heard Chloe say that every time Joyce would ask her to do something, she didn’t feel like doing.

“Oh, it’s cool. S’all good.” Trevor shrugged, getting up. “I’ll see you later Chlo, Mad Max.” He offered a fist bumped. Max watched Chloe bump her fist with his, is this some sort of greeting? Max copied Chloe in a rather robotic movement and waved to the others as they left.

* * *

“Mad Max?” Max asked, Chloe didn’t smile, “It’s a nickname. Something you call your friends with.” Max nodded. “So, what did Trev want? I’ve seen him sit next to you. Already putting the Blackwell nerds under your spell, are you Max?” She snickered and playfully bumped rears with Max.

“He’s nice.” Max’s eyes looked up at the evening sky as they made their way towards the truck. She’s getting the hang of speaking back.

“And, or but?” Chloe rose a brow.

“But…” Max paused, thinking of the right words. “I… Don’t know.” She shrugged. She truly doesn’t. Even if she did hang out with Trevor the way Rachel and Chloe did before, she cannot imagine herself kissing him or hugging him like Chloe and Rachel used to do all the time. The thought wasn’t exciting, just overall so weird.

Her answer didn’t satisfy Chloe, the bluenette found herself angry at her for unknown reason. She walked ahead of Max and got in the truck, slamming the door shut loudly and waiting for Max to get in.

The entire ride back home the pair didn’t speak. Chloe was too absorbed into her own anger and insecurities and Max sensed that she was angry but was too scared to ask so she kept quiet.

That night, Chloe got into her room and didn’t wait for Max to follow like she usually does. She slammed the door quickly causing Max to jump. The brown tabby stood outside looking up at the door that glared back at her… Maybe Chloe didn’t see her back there?

She scratched at the door with urgency.

“Maw!” She called out, she sniffed under the door, tried squeezing her paws under it. She tried everything but it wouldn’t budge. Her calls got louder until Chloe’s voice came muffled from the door, “Max, just! I need some time alone okay?!” She interrupted.

“Mraw!” Max called back and insisted. Scratching against the door harder.

“Max, I said leave me the fuck alone!!” Chloe snapped.

“Mrah!” I promised I wouldn’t, open the damn door.

“Max! I told you to leave. Me. The _fuck_. alone!! Alone!! How about you try learning this word!” Chloe’s voice retorted, angry and hurt.

Why was she upset? Usually she’d hug Max and cry whenever she does but, what’s changed now?

“Can you get the cat to shut the fuck up?! I’m trying to watch TV!” David yelled from downstairs. Max ducked her head. She considered leaving but looked back at Chloe’s bedroom door. Shut tight.

Did I do something wrong? Max blinked. She walked towards Joyce and David’s room and hopped on the bed, curling into a ball. Nothing left to do now but try to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe recalls the first time she met Max.

Chloe’s favorite subject is Science. The teacher, Mrs. Bennett, makes every class so much fun with different experiments for chemistry and physics. One time, she remembers Mrs. Bennett mixing in bacon soda with vinegar, and this huge epic eruption spewed from the volcano model! Chloe recreated it back home under William’s supervision. The mission was a success, however the kitchen turned into a mess and the real volcano that day was Joyce.

Another amazing thing Mrs. Bennett did was getting the class a pet bunny to keep. Sir Hopsalot was the class celebrity as everyone gathered around his tank to pet or feed him. He was mostly there for the biology classes where Mrs. Bennett would explain about food chains and whatever.

And the one thing her science teacher did that every 7th grader was so hyped for, is Pet Day. At first the class complained that it’s for babies.

“Cuz my sister’s in kindergarten and she has pet day too!” The class would complain. But Mrs. Bennett insisted to bring it back and even arranged one successfully with the school’s approval. To Chloe though, pet day never meant anything special. She didn’t have a pet anyway, but she’d attend for the free food and cute animals her classmates would bring and show off. She felt bummed up about it, William can tell. He and Joyce were discussing bringing a puppy home, but Joyce wasn’t much of a dog person as he was.

“Got everything packed for today, kiddo?” He asked Chloe as his car gingerly approached the school’s parking. “You didn’t need to drive me here dad, I could’ve walked.” Chloe mumbled. Clearly upset. His expression softened and he decided to give her a 20-dollar bill so she can buy snacks there. It cheered her up a bit. Chloe exited the car and waved at her dad before going in for school. The event was to start immediately.

The moment Chloe walked into her class she was overwhelmed with just how noisy it was. Puppies and dogs barking here and there, cats mewling and scratching at the class curtains and even birds cocking their heads and singing songs or repeating their owners’ words. A lizard here, a rabbit there, and oh _fuck_ is that a _snake_?! _So cool!_ Everyone seemed so in sync with their animal partner, thrilled to share details about them with friends. Chloe just sunk in her seat and wished it’d be over quickly.

“Alright everybody! Settle down, that goes for your furry and scaly friends too!” Mrs. Bennett smiled warmly as she walked in. The entire class gasped and shrieked. It took a while for Chloe to realize why. That’s because Mrs. Bennett had brought her own pet parrot. A big one for that. Bright green with red and blue accents and a large scary orange beak. _Isn’t she just so cool?!_ Chloe grinned. The parrot just sat there on her shoulder with its big, scary black eyes staring at the children. Occasionally jerking its head around.

“I’m so happy you guys have brought along your furry friends; I’ve brought mine too! Since this is our first Pet Day, I wanna go first to show you what you should talk about during your presentation okay?” She smiled. The class’s voices of agreement intermingled in a loud chaos of “Okay” and “Yes!”. Their science teacher cleared her throat and lifted her arm onto which the parrot’s talons clutched tightly, “This is Apollo. He’s an Eclectus Parrot. He’s about 12 years old and weighs around 19 ounces.”

The bird blinked.

“He’s super intelligent and caring, right Apollo? Can you say hi to everyone?”

“Hello!” He greeted with a gruff high-pitched voice. The class laughed and shrieked, some children jumping in their seats with excitement.

“What do you want to tell everyone about yourself, Apollo?”

“I like…” The parrot cocked his head sideways, “Banana!!!” He shrieked, flapping his wings. Everyone roared with laughter including Mrs. Bennett herself. Chloe smirked rolling her eyes, ‘ _Weirdo’_ she mumbled.

“What else do you like, Apollo?” The teacher asked.

“I like…” He stared blankly ahead, pausing for a brief minute before flapping his wings again and cocking his head up and down, “Music!!!”

“Can you sing for us?” A girl from the class asked, excited.

“Oh, he definitely can! Show them what you’ve got, Apollo.” The teacher let him fly onto the desk. He paced around at first, tilting his head curiously at the environment. But then he started bouncing about happily, whistling a certain tone.

“Sugar!!” He whistled, “Oh, honey, honey!!!” And bobbed his head along to the tones he sung. Everyone clapped and laughed. Towards the end the children could pet Apollo, but Mrs. Bennett was looking for a pet-less student to carry him for a little while. And so, Chloe walked rather nervously to the parrot as he was already bigger than her hand, staring at her with those scary bead-like eyes.

“Okay, Chloe. Just extend your hand to him like this,” Mrs. Bennett guided her, offering her hand to the bird. “And I’ll put some seeds in your hand for him to come to you. Now, if his talons hurt you a little, don’t freak out.” She said. Chloe gulped and nodded vigorously, staring intently at Apollo. The bird lowered its head when it saw the seeds in Chloe’s palm, it cautiously approached her hand and picked at the seeds a little, causing Chloe to flinch, squeeze her eyes shut and stiffen her shoulders. “Relax,” Mrs. Bennett laughed. “You’re not a bird person are you, Chloe?”

“No! I’m okay! I’m not scared!” Chloe boasted, puffing her chest. Though, she jumped a little when she felt Apollo climb her forearm and just sit there. Flapping his wings causing her to shriek.

 _Birds are scary_. She thought. _I’m never getting a bird._

Despite the happy fluffy atmosphere Pet Day had brought upon the youthful 7th graders, Chloe’s bitter mood got the best of her she just decided to ditch. What’s the use of being here if she doesn’t have a pet? The more logical part of her mind mocked her for feeling upset about something so stupid. _Who needs a pet? Pets are just a burden. A big responsibility._ The other, more mellow part of her longed for a furry friend to cuddle with at home. She slipped out of class while everyone was busy and went to the playground. She kicked a pebble in frustration and sat beneath a tree sighing.

_Stupid pet day. Stupid Apollo._

Whatever. At least Joyce made her homemade burgers. She dug through her backpack and took out a sandwich bag where the buns were neatly wrapped with aluminum foil to keep them hot enough. The smell of grease and fries filled her nose and she didn’t waste time to dig in.

Something rustled in the bushes. She payed it no attention because she just thought it was a bird. But when she heard weak, low mewling she jolted and looked back at the source of the noise. Out of the bushes from underneath the fence, crawled a kitten. Brown tabby with big blue eyes. She too seemed to have frozen in her place when she saw the gigantic human that is Chloe.

 _Hisss!_ The little kitten crouched and bared her little fangs. _Cute and feisty, too?_ Chloe snickered.

“You’re not scaring anyone with that, kitty.” She retorted. Munching on her hamburger. She reached out to pet the kitten, but it quickly snapped and locked her jaws around one of her fingers. Chloe retracted her hand quickly with a wince, “Ouch!! Hey!” She glared. “That wasn’t nice!”

 _Hisss!_ The kitten growled. Chloe tried to pay her no attention, the kitten was obviously feral and didn’t like humans. After a while though, she saw the same brown fluff approach her cautiously. Eyeing her hamburger with those ocean blue eyes.

“You hungry?” Chloe asked. She pinched off a piece of her hamburger and laid it down next to her foot. The kitten did not move.

Chloe pushed the burger piece farther away from her, only then did the kitten pad over happily to her share. And she devoured it quickly! Chloe was impressed. She had something in mind.

She tossed the next piece to the kitten, a little closer than the last one. And so on until she placed a burger piece in her hand and offered it to the kitten. She was kind of shaky, the little cat did bite her a minute ago. And even then, the little tabby was eyeing her cautiously as she approached. She sniffed Chloe’s hand first, then the burger piece. She quickly snatched the burger piece from Chloe’s palm and ran to a safe distance where she ate it up. Chloe sighed and finished her meal before lying back on the grass, under the shade of the oak tree. Hands behind her back as she took out her mp3 and plugged her headphones in, she knows she can get in trouble for this, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Over the course of the next few days, Chloe would always meet this kitten in the same spot under the same tree. Of course, that’s only possible when she wasn’t busy playing pokemon cards with her friends or playing P.E outside. Joyce wondered why Chloe asked her to make two hamburgers instead of one, but Chloe just replied with. “Mom! A girl needs to eat!” With a frown.

The more Chloe fed the kitten the closer they got and the more trusting the kitten seemed to be. One time, she let Chloe boop her nose. Which would usually result in the penalty of a jaw full of baby feline teeth on your finger.

One day however, Chloe knew she had reached a breakthrough with this feral kitten. First, she did not growl and hiss at her. Then, when Chloe placed the piece of burger in her hand, she ate it directly from her palm and did not run away. And lastly, when Chloe was lying on her back, the kitten hopped onto her stomach and sniffed around curiously. Chloe fought the ticklish feeling and willed herself to stay still. She cautiously brought her hand to the kitten, who at first ducked, but sat still as Chloe stroke her fur gently. Chloe’s grin stretched from ear to ear, she felt so proud and happy with her achievement she could burst into tears.

“See, that wasn’t so bad!” She chuckled. “You like that, don’t you kitty?” She scratched the kitten’s head and was surprised when the cat immediately turned her head up and leaned into Chloe’s touch. Hearing her first purrs ever, especially when she scratched her fuzzy little chin. It seemed so grand and hypnotizing to the kitten because, adorably, she leaned into Chloe’s touch so much she almost fell over while her eyes were close.

Chloe laughed, “Klutz.” She commented. “What’s your name? Where’s your family, girl?”

“Mah!” The little kitten replied. Then sneezed with a funny ‘kff!’ sound, shaking her head a little

 _That sounded like a Max_ , Chloe had thought. It was funny and ironic, so she went with it.

“I’ll just call you Max. Do we have a deal?” Chloe smiled at the feline friend on her chest. Who just sniffed her face and nuzzled against it. _Looks like she likes it._

* * *

“HEY!” Chloe growled, dropping her backpack when she saw three 9th grader boys pick Max up from the scruff of her neck, holding her in the air like a plastic bag. The kitten mewled loudly, hissing and swiping at the boys. Looking so frightened and uncomfortable it made Chloe’s stomach churn with concern. “What do you think you’re doing?!” She approached the boys twice her size with rage. She even almost used a curse word!

“Hey Chlo! Great timing!” One of the boys snickered, “We found a little kitten! We’ve been tryna feed it chocolate chip cookies-“

“Are you insane?!” Chloe approached, trying to grab Max but the 9th grader used his height to his advantage, holding Max higher up than Chloe can reach. “Cats can’t eat chocolate!! It’ll kill her!”

“What do you know anyway, Chloe? You’re just a tween!” Another guy laughed.

“Chill, Chloe, she’s not yours, is she?” The third guy shrugged nonchalantly.

Chloe glared back at him then turned her attention to the one boy holding the frightened kitten “Give her back or else!” She jumped, almost reaching her.

“Or else what?” He laughed.

“I’ll make you _so_ sorry.” Chloe growled.

“Prove it, nerd!” One of the boys pushed her playfully. Though, it didn’t register as ‘playful’ to the 12-year-old girl, who fumed. With one mighty swing of her leg, she kicked the boy in the shins and heard him shriek. He dropped Max instantly and fell on his back holding the assaulted area, howling in pain as he rolled from side to side. Chloe picked Max up quickly and backed away, watching his friends yell at her and try to help him up. She thought that would settle it, but one of the boys came stomping towards her.

“Why did you do that?!” He sneered. “Huh?! You’re gonna get in so much trouble, Price!!” He grabbed her by the collar. Despite her predicament, Chloe held Max with one hand far away from his reach and grabbed his hand with the other trying to pry it off.

“I don’t care! Let go of me or I’ll kick your balls too, fugly!!” Chloe snarled, tugging his hand off. He fumed, and in act of anger shoved the girl down violently. Chloe fell on her back, air knocked out of her lungs, hearing the other students and teachers rush to the scene yelling at them to stop. In a flash, the brown tabby latched onto his hand digging her claws and teeth into his thumb. He screamed and shook her off, stumbling back. Max landed on her feet, hunching her back, tail held high as she stood protectively in front of Chloe.

* * *

“Mrs. Price.” The principal sighed, the two kids sitting in front of her desk. “This is the umpteenth time we have to pull you out of a fight. I’m afraid I’m going to have to call your parents for this. _Again_!” She glared.

Chloe was scowling, her long blonde hair disheveled and her elbows bruised. As for the three boys, one of them had a bleeding hand, the other was still recovering from the kick. Chloe smirked, she sure showed them.

“And you, Ethan, I can’t believe you’d attack a 7th grader!! She’s just a kid for crying out loud!”

“she kicked my friend!” Ethan snapped.

“That doesn’t give you reason to push her to the ground! Goodness, she’s almost as young as your sister!”

Ethan grumbled and looked down at his feet.

“I won’t let you four out unless you sign these and apologize to one another, in front of me.” The principal crossed her arms. The teenagers groaned and rolled their eyes, “ _Now_.” She warned.

Ethan sighed, he looked at Chloe who had the smuggest smile plastered on her face. “I’m… Sorry for pushing you.” He said.

“And I’m _not_ sorry for kicking your friend in the balls.” Chloe retorted.

“Price! Watch your language!” The principal scolded.

The blonde sighed, rolling her eyes. “I’m sorry for blah blah blah, now can I please leave?” She crossed her arms, scowling. “This is stupid.” She mumbled lowly.

The principal sighed, rubbing her temples, “Boys. You can leave.” She said. “But Chloe, I’m going to inform your parents of this behavior of yours.”

“Yeah whatever. Can I please leave?” Chloe repeated in a monotone voice.

“Not until you tell me what possessed you to start a fight against 3 boys twice your size.”

“I just…!” Chloe sighed, “They were being mean to this kitten. They tried feeding her chocolate and they refused to give her to me! So I had to-“

“Was that kitten your pet?”

“Why does it matter?!! She doesn’t have to be my pet for me to help her!” Chloe snapped. Her answer seemed to have surprised the elderly woman with her sincerity and boisterousness. That’s just Chloe.

“Standing up for weak animals is admirable, mrs. Price.” The principal smiled, “But that doesn’t mean you have to use violence. You can go to the nurse’s office, have her clean your elbows before you head home.”

Chloe did not see Max for the rest of the day.

* * *

William and Joyce reacted differently to Chloe’s heroic story. Joyce was horrified and disappointed, William was supportive and proud. He kissed Chloe’s forehead and told her to never let the bullies have their way, but he also told her to avoid using violence when possible.

He also told Chloe that perhaps the kitten should avoid coming into the school, some children are still too young to understand how they can inflict harm on a delicate creature like that. And so, Chloe had the bright idea of a box. The next day, she stole an empty cardboard box from the canteen, it used to have juice boxes in it. She uncapped a sharpie with her teeth and wrote with big bold letters, **_‘BACK OFF!!!!!’._**

At first, she placed it under the tree, but kids could easily see Max from there, so she carried the box with little Max in it to an alleyway next to school.

“This should be far enough from those ogres.” Chloe scoffed, settling it down and sitting next to it. Max climbed out of the box and approached Chloe cautiously, she sniffed her bandaged elbows and licked at them gently.

“Don’t worry about me, Max.” Chloe smiled, taking the little creature in her hands and settling her on her lap. “I’ll never let anything happen to you, okay?” She brushed her fuzzy cheeks.

Max purred.

Chloe’s smile faded when she recalled one last detail about their fight. “You jumped right in to protect me, didn’t you girl?”

The kitten purred, nibbling at Chloe’s thumb.

“You sure gave Ethan quite the chomp.” Chloe laughed. She held Max close to her chest, watching her roll happily in her arms. “Thank you, Max. You’re my hero.” She kissed her little face.

Next year’s Pet Day had a greater meaning to Chloe. She held 1-year old Max in her arms, showing her off to her friends. Telling the class about the epic story of the formidable duo, Max and Chloe, defending each other in the direst of times. And she even has the scar to prove it! She showed her elbow to everyone in pride. Everyone exclaimed and clapped for the two. Max too, was a lot friendlier towards other kids.

Why is Chloe remembering all of this now? Maybe that’s her mind searching for proof that Max would never leave her after all they’ve been through. She brought her elbow up and saw that same old scar, a mark of friendship, she’d always thought. She sighed, her hands dropping to her sides on the mattress, what are you doing Chloe? Human or not, Max has proven her loyalty time and time again. Even when David would threaten to hit Chloe when he went ballistic, the brown tabby would lunge at him with might, sending him back. And how many times was Max knocked against the floor for her sake?

Chloe got up and opened the door to her room, going to look for Max. She stopped when she saw the brown tabby curled up in a fuzzball at the foot of her door, waiting patiently. Something snapped and Chloe started to tear up, she picked Max up and the cat jolted a bit but quickly relaxed in her arms. “I’m so sorry, I was a dick.” She mumbled.

“Mrr,” Max licked her face, purring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a BIG thank you to Rainboq for betaing!  
> Thank you all for your support, it's been so amazing< 33  
> \- BlueKip


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max needs to give Chloe something special for her birthday.

“Sorry, Trev. No can do.” Chloe grunted, pressing the phone to her ear with one shoulder. She was waist deep under a car, tinkering with its mechanics. Grease stains marking her cheeks and hand up to her elbows. “I’ve got work to do.”

“You’re really taking this part time mechanic thing seriously?” Trevor sighed.

“I told you I want a place for my own.” Chloe continued, the loud noises of whirring machines and car engines ringing in the background. “Gotta start somewhere.”

She pushed herself out from underneath the rusty old bucket, cringing her face as the smell of petroleum assaulting her nose. She sat up and leaned back against the car, sighing. She rubbed her hands with a towel hanging loosely from her shoulder. “So… How’d talking to Max go that day? You never told me.”

Trevor sighed from the other end of the line, “She let me down easy. She’s a nice girl.” He said.

Chloe’s smile broadened; her eyes had a certain spark in them. “Yeah.”

Aside from the part time job as a mechanic assistant, Chloe was thinking of getting her GED to get a stable job. Having someone to care for and protect does wonders to your motivation. Especially when that someone makes you feel a certain way you’ve never felt before. Joyce and David expressed how proud they are, but nothing comes close to comparison when Max with her cute freckled face and her brown hair grinned at her like a Cheshire cat.

“Going back to school?” Max mused.

“Something like that yeah.” Chloe smiled. “I did tell you that I wanted to move out with you.”

“That’s good.” Max nodded, watching the beach stretched out before their eyes. The salty smell in the air and the soothing sounds of the waves were pleasant to hear, but Chloe found Max’s voice prettier than all these combined.

* * *

As days pass them by, Max and Chloe have shared so much together. When Chloe’s not at work, she’d take Max for a spin round town. They’d go to some cheap ass diners together, swim in the bay, see the sights at the lighthouse. Max even got the hang of the concept of ‘celebrations’. For example, when her birthday rolled by, Chloe had bought her a notebook. That was when she decided it was time to teach Max to read and write a little. And Max has proven to be a fast learner. Writing down whatever new words she’d learned in her new journal.

For Chloe’s birthday, Max had hunted down a whole ass rat in her glory. She felt like she should be thankful, but it was still revolting a little. She felt horrible when Max expressed her shock that the rat sacrifice didn’t quite satisfy her.

“I thought you liked these gifts.” She said.

“Max, only a serial killer would appreciate a corpse for their birthday.” Chloe laughed.

So, in compensation, Max had decided to give her something else. But what on earth can she get Chloe? She definitely doesn’t have money on her.

Think, Max, think. What does Chloe love?

_Booze, drugs, girls, fixing old cars, guns, junkyard, girls, skating, girls, girls, **girls**. _

It didn’t help when Max was home alone watching TV and the protagonist cheekily told their love interest, “A kiss on the lips would be great.”

Kissing on the lips is a way to convey love, Max had learned from the movie and from watching Chloe and her dozens of previous lovers. Sometimes it leads to something more… Intense. Max blushed crimson red at the thought. Would Chloe even consider this kiss a birthday gift at all?! No, she wouldn’t, Max, are you dumb? She’d had countless of other humans – much more attractive for that matter – kiss the fuck out of her and go beyond.

Max doesn’t even have the confidence to do anything remotely close to that. Don’t talk the talk if you can’t whatever, whatever, Max!

Does she even think of Chloe as more than a friend? She gave Chloe countless kisses as a cat, that wasn’t a big deal but this? This means serious business! She does find her attractive, the thought of trying the lips-on-lips thing with Chloe had crossed her mind often but Chloe has had hundreds of these. What made her think her kiss was going to be any special?

But what else am I going to give her? I can’t do anything else.

Max cursed at her own uselessness. She hoped this wouldn’t ruin whatever she and Chloe had. One thing Max knew was, the trick’s in the setting. And so, the self-study began where Max watched countless sappy romantic movies or series that gave her bits and pieces of what to do or say, and how to set up the atmosphere. Chloe deserves so much more, but Max is giving it her all. She had successfully managed to sneak into the liquor cabinet and steal a bottle. David threw a fit, but it’s worth it. Chloe’s worth it.

Next part was easier said than done. Max had to ask Chloe to watch tv together while the parents were gone again in one of those friends over visits. Chloe happily obliged saying she doesn’t really wanna go with David anyway. Max was both relieved and panicked that her plan had worked. Chloe suggested watching a movie and gushed about this new film she watched, called Blue’s the Warmest Color. Max hadn’t seen it yet but agreed and watched as Chloe started to set it up. The brunette was suddenly hyperaware of how Chloe dressed. Only in her sports bra and sweater pants. She mentally slapped herself for wearing something so boring for such a special occasion. Her usual shirt and sleeping shorts were nothing too attractive. She fiddled nervously in her seat and breathed in and out deeply in an attempt to calm herself down.

As the movie played, Chloe sat next to her munching on popcorn.

“Could really use a fucking drink,” She mumbled.

A drink! Oh, right!

Max raised an arm, “Wait here.” She said and hurried up to Chloe’s room. She returned with one of those fancy liquor bottles David hides. Chloe’s expression froze then broke into that of sheer excitement. “Max you sneaky thing! How’d you get that?!” She asked.

“I uh…” Max stammered, sitting down and running a hand through her hair nervously. “Stole it. David.” She said. Chloe roared in laughter and took the bottle from her hands, “You never cease to impress me! Down the hatch we go!” She grinned evilly as she popped the bottle open and poured some of its content in a glass.

“Want some?”

“Alcohol?” Max asked. She knows that it’s the one drink that makes human act funny and weird. It’s fun watching drunk Chloe coming home from a nightclub but Max had never had any.

“I mean, cats aren’t supposed to have alcohol, technically. But you’re a werecat so maybe you stomach things differently? Give it a try.” She offered Max a glass that had only very small amount of liquor. Max eyed the amber liquid with a tint of gold, her eyes darting between the glass and Chloe’s smirking face. She held the glass in her hand and slowly brought it to her lips. She felt her tongue and throat burn that made her recoil. Chloe chuckled and chugged the whole damn thing down like a champ.

“It gets better with practice.” She laughed. “How do you feel?”

“Disgusting.” Max told with a cringing face. Chloe laughed dangerously, that glint of mischief in her eyes.

The night stretched on and Max still did not make her move. She was too terrified, her heart drummed in her chest and her hands trembled, but she knew she was running out of time. It’s now or never, Max. As if the universe was egging her on, there was a sex scene playing on the tv. Max’s pupils narrowed to thin slits and her face was set ablaze at the sight of the two girls. And what’s worse? One of them had blue hair like Chloe. Max stole a glance at Chloe who seemed unbothered. Right, because she’d probably done this countless of times. That same old bitter feeling washed over Max, but she restrained it. Tonight isn’t about her, tonight’s about Chloe.

She felt Chloe’s warm skin touch her hand, she stared down at Chloe’s fingers, brushing lightly against Max’s knuckles. She can hear rapid heartbeats that weren’t her own, was Chloe nervous too? Chloe caught her gaze and held it, she seemed to have held her breath too. She had this look on her face like she wanted something, and it drove Max crazy. The brunette moved closer and stopped, unsure of what to do next. She’s never done this before. From this distance she can feel Chloe’s breath hot on her lips, her instincts going in hyperdrive. Her scent overwhelming her senses, she smelled like her cigarettes and suddenly this is Max’s new favorite smell.

“Max?” Chloe asked, her voice low and husky.

Max answered by pressing her lips against Chloe’s. Lost in how soft and plump they felt against hers. And it’s like her body disconnected from her mind as electricity surged through her spine. Her skin had goosebumps all over, and her heart leaped with raw happiness. Though her mind did not understand, why am I so happy like this? She pulled back, afraid of Chloe’s reaction. Only to find Chloe with paralyzed expression and a tint of pink on her cheeks. Her lips still parted.

Her eyes looked down at Max, her face unreadable. Her hand found Max’s cheek and there was a certain feeling in the way her thumb brushed gently against her cheek. She’s used to having Chloe pet her as a cat, but right now as a human, Max’s skin tingled wherever Chloe’s fingers touched, and it was the most pleasant feeling she’s ever felt.

Chloe brought Max’s face closer and the way she hungrily eyed Max’s lips made the brunette shiver with exhilaration at the tension between them. And before Max knew it, she crashed her lips against Chloe’s. This time, Chloe kissed back, and she felt millions of butterflies flutter out of her chest at the taste of Chloe’s delicious lips. She automatically started purring like crazy with every breath she took and felt Chloe smirk against her lips. She felt a tongue swipe across her bottom lip and was unsure of what to do, but when Chloe rubbed her back sensually, she got the hint that she needs to open her mouth. The moment she felt Chloe’s tongue on hers, both girls retracted only a few millimeters with shock.

Max, dizzy and lightheaded at this overwhelming first experience with a tongue, nonetheless. And Chloe, weirdly turned on because holy fuck Max’s tongue felt like sandpaper against hers?

_Max keeps a cat tongue in there? That saucy fucking minx!_

“What was that just now, Max?” her voice below a whisper. Chloe’s eyes searched Max’s, pleading for a particular answer. Max looked up at her and swallowed dryly. “I don’t… I don’t know.” She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to think. “I wanted… To give you a birthday gift.” She tried to breathe but it felt like her lungs were burning out. She was still purring and that fact alone embarrassed her even more. At first, she was horrified because Chloe went silent, then confused when she started laughing.

“So, you tried giving me a kiss for my birthday which was like… A couple days back, huh?” Chloe descended into a fit of laughter. Her lips pulled into a big smile and Max wanted to kiss her all over again.

“I… Couldn’t think of a-anything else.” Max rubbed her arm, sighing and shifting her weight. Chloe just smiled down at her, so this entire setup was to give her something special for her birthday.

“Sorry.” Max mumbled.

“Are you kidding? That was the best birthday gift ever, Max!” Chloe shoved Max playfully. “At least now I know a couple of interesting things.” She brought the drink to her lips, a lewd smile painted on her face as she gave Max side glances. The hair on Max’s neck stood on its ends, “What? Know what?” She insisted but Chloe kept dodging her questions for the rest of the evening.

That night has awoken something special in the two.

* * *

_Buckman Heights Apartments_

_16 th Ave Portland_

_Studio apartment_

_$712_

_Call 503-XXX_

Chloe tapped her chin, her face dimly illuminated by the laptop’s screen as the numbers stared back at her. She looked at her side at the oversized brown tabby, sleeping soundly next to her. She smiled lightly and took her phone, saving this number in her contacts.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Max move to their new apartment, it proves to be a difficult time for Max.

When Chloe thinks back on it, getting here wasn’t easy. The room looked nothing like this when she first saw it in the advertisement. It was old, the landlord said nobody’s lived here for a long while. There was cheap paint on the walls that crumbled at the slightest touch, the creaky drawers don’t close properly because they’re covered in too many layers of paint. Combined with the cheap ugly flooring and leaky windows with dust floating around, this place had seen better days.

It needed a heavy refurbishing duty, but Chloe was told that was the landlord’s job. All she has to do is sign the lease and focus on making money.

Chloe poured all her effort into work. Taking as many shifts and overtime as she can get her hands on. It was so hard to stay away from Max these days without her mind wandering back to that damned kiss. Her heart flutters whenever she remembers the feeling of Max’s lips against hers. The fact that she will spend more time with the brunette in their new apartment that drives her to show up for overtime. The harder she worked, the faster they could get moved in. But that also means less time spent at home. She’d get home at night, covered in grease and muck. The moment she’d open the door to her room, the brown tabby snoozing at the foot of her bed would see her and hop down, rushing towards her at full speed. And before she knew it, the once adorable fluffy creature was now a short-freckled brunette, pulling her into a tight embrace while letting out the loudest of purrs.

“Missed me, did ya?” She’d laugh and hug the petite girl tightly.

“A little too much.” Max quietly replied.

After receiving a call from the landlord telling her that the studio’s condition has been improved, Chloe was determined to add her own personal touches. And so, she borrowed some blue paint from David’s garage. She got to work immediately, painting over the ugly white walls and turning them into beautiful sky blue.

Chloe dedicated one wall for her art of tagging, her first was a simple “Chloe was here” like the one in her room. Hopefully Max can contribute as well. Chloe is giddy with excitement at the idea of living here with Max. Best of all, the brunette can shift in and out of cat form without a single worry.

* * *

Max knows that Chloe’s getting a new place, she doesn’t know how soon they’ll be moving. Despite her half human side, Max is still a cat. And Chloe knows how nervous the idea of moving out sounds to cats. She did some research that suggested multiple things, keeping a strict routine Max can get used to, showing her the moving boxes and suitcases so she can familiarize herself with them, _carrier box? Can Max even fit in a carrier box? Shit, anti-anxiety medication_. What if the whole idea of moving puts Max under immense stress that those anti-anxiety meds become a necessity. No, fuck that. Chloe would never put Max under any pressure. She just needs to take it slow. Her gaze fixated on the laptop screen, feeling the heavy weight of the large brown tabby on her lap and hearing her serene purrs reminded her that Max is happy where she is.

The routine idea is something Chloe cannot fully control, since she’s absent from the house for most of the time, Max is left home with David and Joyce. Neither can Max fit into a carrier box.

“Get her the ones for big dogs then, she’s your problem.” David would dismiss her whenever she brings the problem up. Chloe’s counting the seconds till she can ditch his ass.

“Here girl, come here.” She gently cooed, Max perked up and rolled on her back exposing her cream-colored belly and stretched, her sharp claws poking out from her forepaws.

Chloe sighed, “No time for belly rubs, come on!” She patted the floor. The large cat let out a sound of displeasure, declaring that ‘how dare you skip out on belly rubs?!’ But nevertheless, she spotted the big box and a mixture of curiosity and uneasiness took over. She hopped off the bed and eyed the box cautiously, inching closer painfully slowly. She sniffed its plastic exterior.

Chloe didn’t expect a positive reaction, besides she’s huge and probably wouldn’t fit anyway.

As expected, the brown tabby hissed and backed away from the box quickly, pupils dilated while her fur stood on end. Chloe immediately pushed the box away, “Okay, okay! You don’t like it, that’s cool!” She placed a blanket over it to hide it from Max. “We’re cool right?”

As much as it pained Chloe to force Max to do something, she had to get Max used to the box. She would leave the box in plain sight so Max can see it, but the brown tabby would avoid it like the plague. She placed some treats in there, but Max was smart enough to extend a paw and drag the treat out of the box, then pick it up and leave.

_Conniving, Max._

“What’s with the box?” Max asked while she and Chloe were chilling in the truck. She sounded clearly annoyed and anxious at the same time.

“It’s gonna be a fucking bitch to carry a 30-something pound cat along with all my shit.” Chloe smirked.

“I’m not going anywhere, Chloe. I’m never leaving you. I don’t need a box.”

Chloe’s heart swelled with happiness, had it been another person, Chloe would’ve called horse shit. But Max sounded so genuine and confident in what she’d said, Chloe had no choice but to believe her. And that settled it. 

Humans move from one place to get away from pain, Chloe was no different. Max knew with all her heart that she’s willing to stay by Chloe’s side, it didn’t matter where they go. But the very thought of moving away to a whole new environment, new people, new places, new smells and an entirely new territory unknown to Max. It brought a deep rumbling fear and anxiety with an unknown origin. It made Max’s stomach roil, made her want to hide away and stay in this house forever. She kept these feelings hidden as best as she could, she never told Chloe about throwing up in the backyard. She didn’t tell her about the overwhelming urge to lash out and destroy Joyce’s favorite couch to let out some of the stress. She skipped a meal or two, but she thought that she was over-exaggerating.

Humans move all the time, Max. Get used to it. You’re human too, you probably shouldn’t be acting like this.

Then came the hard part. To Chloe, it was bidding her mom farewell. To Max, it was everything about the boxes and the suitcases and the realization that she was leaving the place Chloe had brought her to from the streets.

“Come on, Maximus!!” Chloe patted her thighs; Chloe picked the oversized brown tabby with a struggle. Though, she was surprised to see Max felt a little lighter in her arms today. “Oof, you’re not getting any smaller are ya?” She laughed.

“It’ll be awfully quiet without you two.” Joyce sniffed, drying her tears. David had an arm around her shoulders and rubbed her back.

“I’ll check in every once in a while, mom. Promise.” Chloe reluctantly gave her mother a one armed hug. Joyce smiled weakly through her tears, she pulled Chloe and Max into a hug and sighed shakily, “Oh, Chloe…” She sobbed. Chloe cursed at herself, she promised she wouldn’t cry. She was fucking happy she’s finally ridding herself from David, but she’s gonna miss her mom.

Max meowed and licked Joyce’s nose, closing her eyes when the middle-aged woman scratched her fluffy neck. “Oh, I’ll miss you too Max! You take good care of Chloe.” She kissed her little head.

David sighed and crossed his arms. Chloe didn’t know what to say to him either. At least, not with Joyce standing there.

“Good luck out there.” Was all he could come up with.

Chloe glared, backing away towards her truck. “I don’t fucking care what happens to you, but you’d better take care of Joyce or I’ll kick your ass.” She sniffed.

“Chloe!” Joyce started, David just huffed and watched her go with a nod.

* * *

“Welcome home Max!” Chloe gently lowered herself letting the brown tabby to leap off, “Pretty sick, huh?” She grinned and looked at her – no, their new home. She held her breath, waiting for Max’s reaction. She expected excitement, enthrallment, maybe a little kiss telling her how awesome she was. Speaking of which, she expected Max to shift by now. She can tell something’s off. The brown tabby froze in her place.

“Maxamillion? What’s up?”

The tabby cat shifted, which Chloe was thankful for so she could read her expression. It wasn’t of utter pure happiness like Chloe thought, her freckled face was the picture of disquiet, despite the fragile smile.. “I-It’s nothing, I love it. It looks so cool, Chloe.”

“Thank fuck for that, I almost thought you didn’t like it.”

Gulp.

The one nice thing about it was that Max was able to stay human. Chloe helped distract her from the uneasy crawling feeling, but it never went away completely. It would resurge whenever Chloe would turn her back or leave Max for a moment to do something. The brunette’s sensitive senses overwhelmed by the new smells and new sights.

That night, Chloe went to sleep early. She was clearly exhausting from hauling everything on her own. Max couldn’t, she felt the burning urge to hide, to kick things, scratch and growl. Every bone in her body screamed at her that she didn't belong here, she needed to go back home. This isn’t home.

No, Chloe’s here. Chloe is home.

Max gave in and slipped into her feline form and hid under the bed.. She couldn’t sleep, not in this new environment. It was too dangerous for her to close her eyes, so she stayed wide awake. She couldn’t stop the barrage of mewling that came barreling out of her mouth. Who was she calling out for? She had no idea. Once she felt Chloe shift on the mattress above her, she willed herself to stop.

Chloe was late for work, she woke up cursing and pried open the boxes, looking for her overalls. She noticed something was off; Max wasn’t on the bed or anywhere else. She stopped what she was doing and looked around, “Max?” She called. No answer, _oh fuck_. Her heart rate picked up as she feared Max had somehow escaped, it wasn’t unusual for a cat to flee from a new home. Much to her relief, she spotted Max’s tail beneath her bed. She kneeled down and gave the frightened brown tabby a worried look.

“C’mere,” she extended a hand. Max lashed out, giving a little hiss. Chloe was startled; she hadn’t been aggressive at all with Chloe. Ever.

“Max, please,” she reached out again, “I’m here. Don’t be scared.”

Max looked at her with her big blue eyes, pupils dilated, and fur puffed out. She cautiously walked out, and it was only then that Chloe got a good close look at her. Max had lost weight, it was apparent even through her thick coat of fur. Chloe’s eyes softened and she cursed at herself for being so caught up with work that she had forgotten about Max’s wellbeing, again. She backed away and gave room for Max to shift, she was trembling, told her that she felt lightheaded and Chloe quickly called in sick for work.

 _No fucking way you’re letting Max go through this by herself, Price._ Chloe mentally scolded herself.

She wrapped a blanket around Max and the brunette buried her head in the blanket too. It would hopefully help her feel closeted in, hidden away from danger. Chloe hugged her tight and rubbed her arms, whispering words of comfort. Throughout the day Chloe made sure the room was as quiet as possible, thankfully the apartment was tiny, giving Max the ability to keep her eyes on everything and take time to get used to it.

Max required a lot of physical reassurance and attention. The poor girl once threw up her food when Chloe took too long with the unpacking. Chloe prayed that anti-anxiety medications will not be needed but judging by the look on Max’s face, she’d probably have to figure out how to get them.

“Talk to me,” Chloe lowered the volume on the TV, looking at the brunette. She was nestled between her legs, huddled in a blanket.

“It’s nothing serious-“

“Bullshit. You’ve vomited twice and haven’t touched your food. You look so fucking thin. Talking about it might help-“

“I _said_ it’s nothing!!” Max snapped; pupils constricted into thin vertical slits.

“Mood swings too.” Chloe smirked. She sighed and held Max’s hands gently in hers, rubbing her knuckles. “I want you to be comfortable here, Max. You don’t have to tolerate shit for my sake.”

“But you’re so happy.” Max’s hands squeezed hers.

“I’m not happy when I see you like this! Fuck, Max you look so fucking pale!” Chloe’s hand rested on Max’s chin. The familiar feeling and scent caused the brunette to relax and lean into her touch.

“I-I can’t explain, Chloe. It’s all the…” Max swallowed, “New… Scents, the sights, the sounds… It’s all so… New. I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize for shit. We’ll get through this together, like we always do.” Chloe smiled as she kissed Max’s knuckles. “I won’t move a fucking inch until we do.”

With Chloe encouraging her, Max took her time getting used to everything. Smelling things whether in cat or human form, watching the room while Chloe raged in the background trying to get a recipe right. Listening to the chatter of the townsfolk as they would walk by the apartment and waved shyly with a sweet smile whenever they looked up and noticed a brunette staring at them from the window.

A new activity Max found very distracting was helping Chloe with the cooking. While Chloe would handle the frying and preparing the ingredients, Max would only help pass her whatever she needs. Only if said item passed her sniffing check, naturally.

“Max, you don’t have to smell the seaweed for the umpteenth time.” Chloe snorted.

“It smells so weird.”

“Hey! We don’t judge the seaweed, Max.”

“What’re you making anyway?”

“Sushi.” Chloe had a devious grin playing on her lips, Max had almost forgotten that just a few weeks back she’d kissed those lips. The memory was enough to set her cheeks on fire.

* * *

“Are you gonna be okay on your own?” Chloe’s concerned eyes searched Max’s. The brunette looked at her surroundings and inhaled deeply. She nodded.

“You know how to use the hot-line right?”

“Punch some numbers in. Yeah.”

“Okay.” Chloe sighed, cursing beneath her breath. She had an argument with the garage owner a few hours back, she had to come today as it was getting too hectic and they needed extra hands. “I hate leaving you like this.”

“I’ll be okay, Chloe. Promise.” Max smiled sweetly. She stood on her tip toes and left a kiss on Chloe’s cheek. She jerked her head back once she realized, a sheepish grin on her face. “Sorry.”

Chloe’s laughter rang pleasantly in her ears, she rested her forehead on Max’s and the brunette’s nose tingled with Chloe’s familiar scent. This is home, Chloe’s her home.

“First off, don’t you ever fucking apologize for kissing me.” She chuckled, “You better keep ‘em coming, Maximus.” There it was. That suggestive hint in her voice and the look on her face like she’s expecting something. All those small details making Max’s heart do backflips. “Second, I’ll keep checking in on you. You better have the phone with you at all times.” She said. “I’ll be back before you know it.” With a quick peck on the forehead, Chloe left Max to her own devices in the apartment.

* * *

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, _shit, fuck_!” Chloe leaped into the truck; she hadn’t even bothered washing her hands. She revved the engine into life and floored it. This isn’t the time for her to be late, she never expected work to take her so long, but noooooo! Fucking Joel keeping her an extra few hours! The moment he told her that she had to resist the burning itch to fucking bash his skull with the wrench because this is not the time at all to be late! She felt nauseous, guilt eating at her with the dread of something bad happening to Max. Maybe she threw up and passed out from dehydration? Wrecked the place? Fled?!

 _Fuck sake! Can’t this fucking rust-bucket go any fucking faster?!_ Chloe bit her lip. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened.

And what’s worse is that Max had stopped answering her calls. Ten missed calls, _ten_! She didn’t care how she parked her truck; it was crooked, and the driver of the white Toyota might not be able to exit thanks to her beast of a truck blocking the exit but she couldn’t give a fuck! She rushed into the building and _fuck the elevator it’s gonna take too long!!_ She skipped steps as she raced up the stairs, reasoning that the third floor was easy enough to reach.

With sweaty palms and shaking hands, she unlocked the door to the studio and busted into the room, panting wildly like a feral creature, “Max!!!” She exclaimed. But her shoulders visibly relaxed when she saw the brunette lying peacefully on the couch, sound asleep. Wrapped around a blanket as usual with the tv turned on. She closed the door slowly to not wake her, and snickered when she saw Max’s favorite Ghibli Movie, The Cat Returns, was playing. 

The room was still tidy and clean, no vomit stains, no signs of panic, no scratch marks and no panicked, trembling Max. The brunette looked like she was finally getting the rest she needed. Chloe noticed Max’s journal lying on her chest. Curiosity got the best of her and she picked it up to the page Max was on. Her smirk broadened at the new words written down.

That’s Max’s handwriting alright, she’s still getting the hang of it but she’s definitely making progress. It’s a habit of writing whatever new words she’s learned so she can keep them in mind. There were only a few words jotted down for today, in crooked letters were the words ‘Studio’, ‘Sushi’, ‘Hot-line’ and the last word underlined with bigger, bolder letters.

** Home. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY CRAP this chapter was a mess! BIG thank you to Rainboq for betaing and helping me improve! Please go check her work out, it's a huge inspiration for this story! [**Chloe and the Beast**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24222208) (22269 words) by [**Rainboq**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainboq)


	10. Chapter 10

Humans are social creatures. They love to be surrounded by friends and family. Sometimes they’d throw a ‘party’ and invite their other human friends to listen to music, dance, drink and have a good time. So has Max learned. Back in their old house, Chloe would always go to parties and nightclubs, only to show up at a late hour in the night wasted and drunk. Parties aren’t necessarily thrown in nightclubs; they can happen anywhere. They can also be about anything; humans love to celebrate random things. So far Max was only familiar with birthday parties and Christmas, but this particular one was… Confusing

“Halloween?” Max raised a brow, she looked up from her journal looking at Chloe who sat next to her on their bed. (Sleeping as a human next to Chloe has proven to be a thrilling experience for Max, for whatever reason.)

“It’s about spooky shit. Y'know, ghosts, ghouls, my high school principal Ray Wells.” Chloe laughed at that one. Max did not understand. “Basically, we throw a lame-ass party, dress up all weird and get drunk.” Chloe explained that it was a tradition her and her human friends used to do every Halloween. This year, one of Chloe’s friends called Dana was hosting the party.

Meeting Chloe’s human friends had always been fun! Max loved going to the skatepark with them, she was getting better at skating thanks to Chloe. So, she thought it’d be nice to party with them, although the idea of so many people cramped up together being super noisy and moving around too much sounded a bit too overwhelming to her. Max was willing to try anything new as long as she had Chloe by her side.

“So, whaddya think?” Chloe asked. Max fiddled with her pen, thinking. “Max?” Chloe asked, looking concerned.

“It’s okay, I love your friends!” Max gave her that feline grin again. Chloe paused before smirking, “So you love my friends, hmm?” She asked coyly, leaning into Max’s personal bubble, testing the waters.

“Uh, y-yeah they’re nice and…” Max moved back, blood flooding her cheeks. “And…” She trailed off, trying to look at anything but Chloe. Because she knew the moment she would, she’d lose the battle of will and kiss Chloe all over again.

“And what about me?” Chloe teased, Max couldn’t tell if she was just messing around or being serious. Nevertheless, the very question caused the brunette’s face to catch fire. Millions of butterflies fluttered in the pit of her stomach. She loves Chloe with everything she’s got. But does she love her the way her friends do? Or the way Rachel did? Two kinds of love that meant completely different things and Max was still confused, after all, she doesn’t have any friends aside from Chloe and her group. And she had never… Been romantically involved with a human.

“O-Of course I love you Chloe.” Max replied, “You’re s… You’re my best friend.” And just as fast as the flash of hope burned in Chloe’s eyes, it died out and receded, leaving behind disappointment. Though, Chloe did a good job hiding it by laughing.  _ Of course, who am I fucking kidding, you weird-ass creep? _

“Right back at ya, Maximus.” She smiled, playfully bumping her shoulder against Max’s. Thankfully the brunette seemed to relax as she giggled and returned back to her writing. Chloe observed silently, “So whatcha got?” She asked, nodding her head at the journal.

“Brunch,” She recalled her and Chloe having ‘brunch’ together today. “Thrash,” Chloe tried getting her to dance when she played her music this afternoon. Max loved seeing Chloe dance. “Halloween, ghosts, best friend, luh…” Max’s voice caught in her throat, she paused and stammered a little, had it not been for the darkness of the room Chloe would’ve easily seen her beet red face. “Lah… Lantern. Um, pumpkin lantern???” She ducked her head, slightly moving her journal away from Chloe’s eyes.

Chloe yawned and stretched her arms, “We’ll go pumpkin hunting tomorrow. I’m fucking wiped.” She mumbled, slipping under the blankets. Max should probably do the same. The brunette nodded and closed her journal, placing it under her pillow as she laid on her left side, facing away from Chloe.

“Night, Max.”

“Good night, Chloe.” Max mumbled, staring at the wall. That was close, that was so close. I can’t let Chloe see that; she’d think I’m weird. She trailed a finger over the smooth covering of her journal. The word ‘Love’ stuck in her mind. How’s ‘best friend’ love any different than ‘Rachel and Chloe’ love, she wondered.

* * *

“Max, for fuck sake stop ogling the Hot Dog guy he’s going to call security.” Chloe nudged the brunette who stared at the man in a Hot Dog costume in front of a costume shop. She knew it was a costume, but it intimidated her. He looked big and evil and she didn’t trust that one bit. She and Chloe were in the fruits and vegetables aisle, looking through pumpkins. Max was getting used to going to the Mall, but since Halloween was approaching, everything was colored with orange and black. What’s the big deal? It was just a month where humans dress up all spooky, that’s what Chloe said anyway.

“Fuck this is heavy.” Chloe mumbled as she placed the two pumpkins carefully in the cart. She patted them with a big grin, “Well Mad Max, it’s safe to say that our pumpkins are secured!”

“What’s next?” Max smiled, leaning against the handle of the trolley. Chloe looked at her hand, having written whatever they needed with a sharpie on her wrist. Fuck it’s all smudgy.

“Uuuh, shit, decorations.”

Getting Max out of the decorations store was difficult enough, why would she want to leave? She had to investigate every single shiny item on the shelves and had to fight the urge to push certain things off the shelves just to know what kind of sound they would make when they hit the floor. While Chloe was busy choosing between skeleton or black cat banners, Max spotted the most interesting yet terrifying decoration. It looked like a mummy, the one she’d seen in this one movie she and Chloe watched. It stood nearly reaching her waist, it looked very unsettling with its evil eyes and devilish grin. Max reached one hand to poke it and observed the menacing creature rock back and forth. It felt leathery like a balloon. Balloon mummy? Strange. And so evil!

Max didn’t like it one bit. She tried pushing it back to knock it over, but it swayed back and bumped her arm and that was  _ it _ ! The brunette’s pupils snapped into thin slits, she glared and hissed while backing away. She bumped into someone and she jolted, whipping back to find a woman curiously staring at her.

“U-Um, sorry!” Max snapped back to her senses and made her way back to Chloe who seemed to go with the black cat banner.

“Costume shopping, fuck.” Chloe sighed looking at the smudged ink on her hand. 

“Oh, should I wait for you?”

“What? You think you’re gonna get away?” Chloe grinned dangerously, “We’re getting your ass in costume, Maxie. Let’s go!” She grabbed Max’s arm pulling the brunette along. Max groaned. Does she really have to wear a dumb costume like that hot dog man? When the pair have finally settled on a store, Chloe noticed an all too familiar white beanie poking from amongst the crowd. She smirked and approached her friend, flicking the side of her head.

“Ow! Hey!” she growled, rubbing her scalp. Her angered expression broke into realization upon seeing Chloe. “Sup, Steph?” the bluenette grinned.

“I was doing just fine till you decided to bother me,” Stephanie smirked, rolling her eyes. “Oh! Max’s here too! Hi!” She smiled when she saw the brunette right behind Chloe and gave her a knowing smirk when she saw her hand in Chloe’s. It made Max’s eyes snap wide, she wriggled her hand out of Chloe’s grasp and put them behind her back.

“Hey, Steph.” Max greeted quietly.

“So, you’re here for costume picking too? Aren’t you like…? What? 20 years old, Price?” Stephanie smirked, hand on her hip.

“Once a pirate, always a pirate ye scallywag!” Chloe exclaimed, flexing her index into a hook and shutting an eye. Stephanie scoffed.

“What’re you going for, Steph?” Max asked, it was unusual for the brunette to speak unless spoken to. But Chloe’s happy that she’s finally getting out of her shell.

“Oh! I was thinking of cosplaying as one of my D&D characters!” Stephanie grinned.

“Dee and dee?” Max raised a brow.

Stephanie gaped, “She’s never played D&D?!!” She exclaimed, looking at Chloe with disbelief. “Oh, honey we’re fixing that tonight!” She wrapped an arm around Max.

“Watch it, Steph! You’re getting all your geek germs on her!” Chloe smirked. Laughing when Stephanie flipped her off and stuck her tongue out.

Stephanie and Chloe both went on a costume hunt for Max. Despite her objections, they insisted saying that it’s a tradition. Chloe suggested a pirate costume to match hers, it flustered Max to think that Chloe wants them to match. Stop thinking weird, Max! Stephanie on the other hand insisted on a cat costume. Chloe fought a flood of laughter that threatened to spill from her lips, she nudged Max, “Yeah, Maxie! Why don’t you try the cat costume?”

“Chloe!” Max snapped, clutching onto the pirate costume tightly. “I-I think pirates are just fine!”

“Max, leave the pirate trash to Chloe.”

“Hey!” Chloe interjected, turning away from a selection of pirate clothes.

Stephanie grinned as she pulled a black cat costume and eyed it with a devious spark in her eyes.

“There’s no fucking way we’re putting Max in that.” Chloe folded her arms and glared. Max rose a brow.

“What? Sexy cat costumes are the best!!” Stephanie grinned, “Try it on Max!” She shoved it into the brunette’s hands, but Chloe’s moved fast as she snatched the costume. “I said no. Choose something else for fuck sake.”

“Oooh, someone’s being protective!” Stephanie winked at Chloe who just rolled her eyes and shoved the costume back in its place. Max stood awkwardly between the two girls as they searched around. She fumbled about, not knowing what to do with herself. Though, her eyes caught the sight of something peculiar. She made her way over to a collection of headbands and picked one of them up that looked a lot like her ears.

“Heeey! Good choice, Max!” Stephanie chimed in. She gasped and lowered herself to grab something, “Look! Fake cat tail too! That’s gonna look so adorable!!” Stephanie chuckled as she fixed the cat headband to Max’s head. Max turned to Chloe pleading her for help, but Chloe seemed to like the idea. She stood back and watched with a smile, a hand on her chin. “Yknow this might work. Looking good, Max-Attack!”

Eventually, she settled for a cat headband, fake tail and a choker. Chloe gave her the coal-black fur collared jacket and Stephanie fixed her up with a ripped shirt and pair of jeans. And just like that, Max’s costume was ready to roll! She looked at her own reflection in the mirror. Is this how humans dress up as cats? She wondered. Chloe peaked in from behind Max’s shoulder and flicked at one of her fake cat ears playfully, “What’s up, kitty cat?” She smirked. Max ducked to the side; her face rivaled the sun with just how hot it felt. “Chloe, stop!” She stammered watching Chloe laugh and shove her playfully.

Max stopped in her tracks when she finally saw Chloe in her pirate costume. She had a brown bandanna wrapped around her head and an eyepatch on her right eye. She donned a long sky-blue coat over a white shirt with red bandanna hugging her waist. Black trousers and brown heavy boots. Blue looked so good on her, it went beautifully with her blue hair and ocean blue eyes. Chloe must’ve caught her staring because she smirked and turned around in her place, arms in the air, giving Max a full show.

“Like what you see?” She beamed.

Max wanted nothing more than to shrink in her place from embarrassment. She gave Chloe two thumbs up with shaky hands as a sheepish smile tugged at her lips. She quickly turned away and cursed at herself for shamelessly staring like a lovestruck idiot.

* * *

Dana’s party was on the day after Halloween. For now, Max and Chloe went back home and work on the pumpkin lanterns and Halloween decorations for their apartment. Chloe hung the black cat banner on the walls while Max watched with amusement.

She even worked on a brand-new tag on her art wall. Standing on their bed, she pressed the cigarette filter against her lips, smoke swirled around in vague shapes from her lips as she drew a skeleton with a sharpie. She swayed in her place while music played from the HiFi. Max just sat back and admired the small details in Chloe’s expression. The way her eyebrows furrowed slightly when she concentrated or the way she smiled when she heard her favorite part in the song.

The skeleton drawn in thick black lines had its arm up, making an ‘ok’ sign with its hand. It had a bandaid on its cracked skull and a speech bubble next to it that said “I’m fine!”

Chloe turned her head and caught Max staring, again. Max’s hands flew to her face and she groaned, Chloe laughed. “You fucking creep, stop staring and come help me why don’t ya?”

“Help you?”

“With the tagging, doy! C’mon Max get that bony white ass over here!” She gestured with her arm. Max stood up confused when Chloe stopped her, “You gotta change first, dorkus.” She grinned. Although Max didn’t know what Chloe had in mind, she still shifted into the big brown tabby. She tilted her head and gave Chloe a quizzical look as the punk made her way to the kitchen counter where the stuff they’d bought for Halloween lied in bags. She rummaged through their items and soon returned with a bowel filled with white paint.

She held Max’s paw and dipped it in the paint, cat friendly, she made sure of that. She picked the brown tabby with a huff, “Holy shit, Max, you humongous ball of fluff.” She mumbled, she held Max up and smiled, “Alright Max! You do the honors!”

“Mrah?” Max looked back at Chloe. “Put your paw against the wall! Do it!” Chloe gave her a toothy grin. Max did as she asked and pressed her paw against the wall. The two looked at their handywork, right next to ‘Chloe was here’ was Max’s paw print stamped in white. Max was here too!

* * *

“Chloe, hey!” Dana grinned over the music, “So glad you could make it!” She brushed a strand of hair behind her back. She was so pretty, dressed as a sexy zombie. Max hid behind Chloe and tugged at her choker, it itched.

“You’re just stoked because I brought Justin, don’t flatter me.” Chloe snorted watching Dana laugh, “Looking good, captain!” Dana gave her a flirtatious wink. Max noticed and grumbled, looking aside.

“Hey, who’s the cutie?” Dana leaned against the doorframe.

“Max.” The brunette mumbled, brushing her hair off her eyes. “Friends since we were little brats.” Chloe grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Dana laughed, “Cute outfit! Come in, the guys are waiting for you at the pool.” She stepped aside.

At least Chloe’s friends were there. They greeted themo with raucous enthusiasm, Trevor was a mummy and Justin was Indiana Jones. They stood next to the snacks table, talked and laughed. Max felt like jumping out of her skin and leaving, it was way too loud, too noisy, so many smells all at once. She just stood back awkwardly next to the, she glanced to her side, ‘Blood’ container.  _ Pfsht _ , she could smell the pomegranate juice. She grabbed a cup and raised it to her lips, chugging it down with one go. She watched Chloe laugh and sway to the music, occasionally shoving a friend or smacking their head roaring with laughter. Chloe made talking with people look easy, Max on the other hand never felt so out of place before.

“Hey, is that blood?! Sweet!” Max jumped; a guy dressed as a vampire filled a cup. “Hey, cute costume!” He grinned.

“Thanks.” Max lifted the cup to her lips, forgetting that she had already drunk all of it. She was too busy looking at Chloe.

“So uh, I’ve never seen you here before. Name’s Warren, but for tonight I am Lord Dracula.” He lifted his black cape to cover his nose and wiggled his eyebrows at Max. The brunette snorted and laughed, her teeth poking from under her upper lips. He’s a dork.

“I’m Max, I’m a.. Uh.. A cat.” She lifted her fake tail with her hand. Warren laughed and nodded, “Yeah I can see that. Looks good on you! I was with my friends, but I saw you out here all alone, wanna hang with us?”

Hang out with a group of human friends other than Chloe’s? That sounded intriguing, but was it really okay to leave Chloe like this? Chloe looked happy surrounded by her friends, Max rubbed her arm nervously before she reluctantly nodded. “Uh sure, I guess.”

“Cool! C’mon, I’ll introduce you to the gang.” Warren took her hand and pulled her along.

Max’s first time socializing away from Chloe was difficult, but it wasn’t impossible. Max actually liked Warren’s group too, there was Kate, a shy girl dressed as an angel. She was super sweet and inviting, her presence reassured her. Then there’s Brooke who kept giving her side eye, she was the total opposite of Kate. It made the brunette squirm in her place unsure if she did anything wrong. Daniel’s a nice guy, he kept rambling on about being this one protagonist from… What was it? Anime? Whatever that was, he was super passionate about it.

“Fake fangs!” Warren grinned, pointing at his teeth.

“Cool!” Brooke exclaimed, “How do you even eat with that?” Kate asked.

“I made ‘em so they fit my teeth.” He boasted.

Max heard the whole conversation about making teeth impressions and fangs and whatever, but honestly her attention was fully directed at Chloe. With a cigarette pinched between her thumb and index, smiling as she took a drag. She smiled to see the bluenette have fun, she needed it after years of struggles. However, the smile left her face when she saw a very familiar girl in pokemon trainer costume approach Chloe. Hold up, is that the cashier girl from before? Max’s grip on her glass tightened, she watched with intense eyes as the cashier girl from before fist bumped Chloe and laughed timidly.

Chloe laughed, clapping her hands, did she tell her a joke? She must have. And it must’ve been a lame one too, they must be bonding over pokemon or something. Well, I’ve got friends too Chloe. And they’re amazing too! Warren has fangs and everything. Max grumbled, twirling her drink. She stole another glance, Chloe was beaming brighter than the sun by now, probably telling a funny story about how she caught a lizard thinking its Charmander and cried when it bit her. She always tells that story around Max. The cashier girl laughed, trailing a hand down Chloe’s arm. It made Max want to puke. Unbeknownst to her, she started growling. A deep, low rumble in her throat. She fought to tear her eyes off the two, but she couldn’t help but look.

“Right, Max?” Warren laughed. His smile died off though when he saw Max looking distant and irritated. “Hey, Max? Earth to Max?” He nudged her.

“What?” She snapped, her eyes went wide with realization, “Oh, sorry Warren!”

“Holy crap, Max! Your fangs are like… Waaaay cooler than mine!” Warren grinned.

“Huh?” Max asked, genuinely confused.

“Ugh, they’re clearly fake.” Brooke rolled her eyes. “Oh, my. No, they look so real, it’s scary!” Kate said.

“Um… I-I don’t understand?” Max blinked. “Max, Max! Are you kidding? You’ve got to tell me how you made these! I mean look at em!” Warren took out his phone and tapped at the camera app, Max’s heart plummeted to her feet when she saw her feline teeth. She sealed her lips shut and clamped her hands over her mouth. “I-I didn’t mean to-“

“Nah, it’s super cool Max! You look like Kirishima from My Hero Academia! Or is it Toga?” Daniel wondered, looking up.

What the hell is he even talking about?! Max panicked. Okay, calm down Max. You’re getting too emotional here, Chloe has the right to have friends too, right? She looked up at the bluenette.

The girl was now fixing Chloe’s eyepatch, getting all touchy feely. She must’ve let out a girlish giggle like she was three years old, Max’s could hear it even from below the deafening music. She felt her breath hitch when she saw her rest her forehead against Chloe’s and trail her hands down her sides. Chloe looked taken back; she hesitantly placed her arms on the girl’s shoulders. The girl nodded as she leaned in and Max was done. She shuffled towards the two, hurtful words ready and waiting on the tip of her tongue. She didn’t know what she was going to do once she reached the pair, but she couldn’t stand and watch either!

Chloe must’ve seen her approaching. At first, she smiled in relief but her expression quickly dissolved to shock, “Max?” She moved away from the cashier girl and hurried to the brunette. “Max, what’s w-“ Her voice was muffled when Max grabbed her by the collar and pulled her in, pressing her lips against Chloe’s with all the strength that she could muster. Chloe’s brain short-circuited and felt shivers travel down her spine from the directness of Max’s actions.

_ Fuck, fuck, fuck, okay… Is she mad at me? Holy shit, okay… This is happening _ . Chloe squeezed her eyes shut and tried to snap from her daze and kiss her back. This must’ve brought Max back to her senses, because the brunette broke the kiss and pulled back. Her pupils narrowed and she immediately let go of Chloe like she was touching fire. “Sorry!” She raised her hands. Only then did she notice the sharp claws that definitely tore a little of Chloe’s shirt. And the stripes that ran down her forearm. She stared at her trembling hands and quickly shoved them into her pockets and stormed out.

Out, out, out. I need out. I can’t stay here.

She panicked, she heard Chloe call her name after her, but she couldn’t hold her human form any longer than this. She pushed past the crowd hearing them gasp and mutter,  _ “Oh my god!” _ or even whistle,  _ “Hey hey, cool costume, kitty! Where ya going?” _ as her eyes fell on a door. It didn’t matter where it led, just as long as she can get out of this place! Away from people and oh, god, away from Chloe.

Stupid, that was so stupid, Max! Good job! You’ve gone and embarrassed yourself again!

She clenched her teeth and finally busted the door open, finding a bathroom. She closed the door behind her and gasped when she caught her reflection in the mirror. Fur began to grow from her jawline in small soft tufts, she looked down at her hands again, shaky and brown with dark stripes. She flexed her fingers and her claws poked out, she sighed and leaned against the sink.

Keep it together Max, breathe. Breathe in, breathe out. You’re fine. You’re at a Halloween party, you’re here to have fun. She opened her eyes again and looked at herself, back to her normal freckled appearance. She sighed in relief but jumped once she heard the door open quickly. Revealing the blue-haired pirate behind it with windswept beautiful blue hair and intense eyes.

“Max.” Chloe panted as she closed the door behind her carefully and locked it. “Max, I saw what happened. What’re-“

“I’m okay now! I’m okay, see? All human again!” Max held her hands up in the air.  _ Please don’t come any closer... Please. _

“Max what the fuck is going on? You’re scaring me. First you bail on me and then-“

“I bailed on you?” Max’s posture went from scared and reluctant to hostile and bitter. “You’re the one who left me out of the picture! You were too busy with your friends, I thought I’d stay back cause I didn’t want to ruin your fun. You didn’t even notice when I left with another group of people! You even let that…” Max’s angry eyes darted around as her mind searched for the right words. “That… That pretentious pokemon phony put her stinking hands on you!! How do you think that makes me feel?!”

Chloe gawked at Max with bewilderment, in all her years, she’s never heard Max speak so… humanly. She’s never seen a genuinely vexed human Max. She must’ve looked like an idiot, gaping at her like that. Max sighed and backed up into a while, she slid down and brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them. Burying her face into her crossed arms. “Just go away. I’ll feel better if I’m alone.”

As hurtful as it sounded, Chloe refused to go. She sat next to Max silently and placed her head on her shoulder and chuckled, “Pretentious pokemon phony. Is that your equivalent of ‘skank’?” She smirked.

“Go away.” Max’s voice came muffled. Chloe’s smug expression dropped, she grabbed Max’s arms and pulled them away from her knees, “Max, look at me.” And she did, Max looked tired and worn out. She worried herself too much, she always does. “Why did that girl bother you?”

“Chloe,” Max hissed at the mention of her. “Not now.”

“Right about now’s the perfect fucking time for this, Max.” Chloe furrowed her eyebrows.

“I’m sorry, okay? Is that what you want to hear?”

“Fucking – No!!” Chloe snapped.

“Then  _ what _ ? What do you want from me?” Please leave, I don’t want you to see me like this.

Instead of speaking, Chloe leaned in and kissedMax’s lips fervently, holding her firmly by her shoulders. She pulled back before Max could react. Despite the short-lived kiss, its intensity left both girls gasping for air, unable to contain themselves anymore.

“Do you get it now? Or do I need to repeat myself?” Chloe’s smirk spread on her face. 

Max’s head spun, “I think… I might need some more convincing.”

“Fuck it, c’mere.” Chloe rolled her eyes and kissed her harder, knocking all wind from her lungs and getting an instant purr. She pressed her tongue to Max’s lips and explored her mouth. She shuddered; Max’s tongue was rough to the touch, but it felt fucking amazing against hers. 

All that Max could focus on in that moment was Chloe’s taste, smell and warmth flooding her senses. Her hands were roaming everywhere all at once, they travelled from her shoulders to her cheeks, down to her chest then her sides. It was  _ overwhelming _ . She remembered she had hands too and should probably do something with them. Shakily, her hands held Chloe’s head and pulled her deeper into the kiss, the sound that escaped her lips shocked her and made her recoil, breaking the kiss and clasping her hands against her mouth.

“What?” Chloe panted, she read Max’s expression and scoffed, that smirk spread from ear to ear. “It’s okay to make noise, idiot.” She laughed, brushing Max’s hair behind her ear.

“I’ve never…” Max breathed, feeling Chloe’s hot breath against her neck. Her lips barely brushed against the tiny hairs on the nape of her neck, teasing.

“Um… W-What’re you doing?” Max gulped.

_ Max, do you ever shut the fuck up in times like this? _

“I’m giving you a hickey.” Chloe mumbled, holding the brunette close as she latched onto her neck.

“Wh…” Max lost all rational thought, whatever that meant, it felt  _ amazing _ . Those burning lips left her neck and she immediately wanted more. Chloe looked at her with fire in her eyes that Max had never seen before, “I’ve waited so fucking long,”

“Since when?” Max breathed,

“Since my last birthday gift.” Chloe’s lewd smile twisted her insides. Max’s face went beet red and she tittered, covering her face with her hands. “You’re a bad fucking liar, Max.” She heard her chuckle.

“What?” Max glared with a Cheshire cat grin; she can’t help herself.

“ _ I love you too, Chloe, you’re my best friend! Ni ni ni ni. _ ” Chloe mocked sending Max in a wave of laughter. “Newsflash, Maximus! Best friends don’t make out in the bathroom.”

“Then who does?” Max cocked an eyebrow,

“You’re really gonna make me say it huh?” Chloe couldn’t hold back her smile, Max just shrugged with a teasing grin plastered on her face. “Girlfriends do that.”

“Are we?”

Chloe smiled sweetly, “Exactly.”

The girls laughed a little before they got interrupted by an urgent knock.

“I think we should go before someone’s bladder explodes.” Chloe smirked, standing up.

“Gross, Chloe!”

“All yours, buddy boy.” Chloe patted the guy’s back, he stared flabbergasted at the two girls walking out of the bathroom hand in hand.

* * *

“Chloe! Max! I saw you two!” Stephanie smirked.

“Fuck off, Steph.” Chloe flipped her off with a coy smile. Stephanie stuck her tongue out then turned to Max and winked, “I told you cat costumes are sexy. By the way, yours looked super realistic! It was so cool!”

“Dude, she looked like a werecat or something. That was epic!” Justin added. They must’ve seen her race past them a while ago.

Max and Chloe gave each other a knowing look, their fingers intertwined. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MASSIVE thank you to Rainboq for reading through my trash hhhh!! Go check her work, it inspired this story! [**Chloe and the Beast**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24222208) (24710 words) by [**Rainboq**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainboq)  
>  Also thank y'all SO much for the overwhelming support< 3 I'm so glad y'all are enjoying it so far!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Random memories + The aftermath of Max's reveal.

Days don’t matter anymore. Nothing matters. 15 year-old Chloe can’t feel anything, she couldn’t even feel sorrow. It’s like her entire world came to a halt when William left, the world shaken to the very core, and she can’t feel anymore.

Everyone’s been avoiding her in school, murmuring amongst themselves. Those who do actually talk with her often approached her with a eulogy and the same fucking sentence, ‘my condolences’.

 _I don’t need your fucking pity._ Chloe would just nod and be on her way.

Classes don’t matter either. She’d just stare into her notebook and sketch, mostly death related themes, thinking that maybe this is a bad dream. Maybe at one point, she’d wake up and everything would be back to normal. But nothing happened. The world took her dad and moved along like she was supposed to just accept it. Like her mother did when she started seeing what’s-his-face. She tasted venom in her mouth whenever she thought of them together, if the world forgot about her dad, she never will. Her grip on her pencil tightened and she sighed. The teacher noticed but chose not to say anything.

She didn’t want to go home. She didn’t want to see Dickface and Joyce pretend to be happy in their perfect little home.

She pressed the cigarette filter to her lips and took a drag, lying on her back on a rusty Cadillac. Swinging her knee gently as she looked at the clouds, passing slowly through the sky. Her phone buzzed for the hundredth time today, she huffed and kicked the windshield in frustration, “Oh, fuck off!!!” She growled.

“What?” She answered bitterly.

“Chloe! Why haven’t you been answering? David’s been waiting for you to finish school-“

“I don’t need an asshole commando to pick me up from school.”

“Don’t call him that! He was worried sick when you didn’t show up.” Joyce said.

“I’m not his fucking problem. And for the last _fucking_ time, I don’t want him to pick me up from school and I don’t need you blowing the fuck out of my phone either.” Chloe hung up. She was probably supposed to feel a twinge of guilt for talking to Joyce like that, but she felt numb.

It was getting too late and she had to go home, she shuffled through the front door and dodged David’s questions, ignored his barking and went upstairs and entered her room. She collapsed on her bed and everything went still. Until she felt a familiar weight sink the mattress a little, and a gentle headbutt to her nose. She didn’t need to see who that was, but she was far too broken at that time for anyone or anything to fix. Even Max’s efforts were in vain.

“Go away,” Chloe moved her head to the other side. Max hopped over and headbutted her forehead again. She grunted. “Max, just go.” She pushed the cat a little and rolled to the other side.

“Mrawh.” Max just sat on her face.

“Max, get off!” Chloe snapped, slipping from under the cat and staring at her with rage. “Why won’t anyone in this fucking house just leave me the fuck _alone_!?!” She snatched the blanket from the bed and just lied on the floor, curling up around herself. She can’t even cry, her eyes were a dry well. The numbness remained.

She heard the light patter of paws approaching her and a familiar presence looming over her. She inhaled deeply before sitting up, “Out. Get out.” She growled, grasping Max firmly by the belly. The brown tabby panicked and wriggled around in her arms, she opened the door and placed Max down then slammed it with all her might.

“That girl, she’s always late. What if she’s up to something? What if a gang of assholes hurt her?” David paced around, staring at his phone, the number of outgoing calls to Chloe ‘17’ blinking back at him.

“You didn’t see her after school?” Joyce asked, walking into the living room from the kitchen.

David shook his head sighing, “Joyce this kind of behavior is unacceptable.”

“She wasn’t always like this, David. She’s still shaken up.” Joyce touched his shoulder, he sighed looking at their feet. “I’m trying, but… She’s… She’s testing my patience.” He cursed beneath his breath.

“She’ll come home eventually; I just pray that she keeps herself out of trouble.” Joyce looked outside at the evening sun. She looked down when she felt Max’s whiskers prickle her calf, “Mrah!” Max pawed at her ankle urgently.

“Hungry, Max?” Joyce chuckled, “Well I’ve got just the thing for you!” She hurried to the kitchen and took out some of the diner leftovers including cooked beef, chicken, some eggs on the side. Max loved them; she’d go crazy vocal about them. But now even when Joyce offered her the bowl, Max just ducked her head away and paw at her feet, meowing loudly.

“What is it with this cat? Can’t she shut up!” David rubbed his temples. In response Max’s mewling got louder.

“I-I don’t know, she looks frightened, poor thing.” Joyce bent down tried patting her head, but Max ducked away again and let out a long, insistent mewl. “What is it that’s gotten you so scared, girl?” Joyce furrowed her eyebrows. Max raced to the front door, pupils shrunk into thin slits as she clawed at the door, her mewling got louder by the second. She’s never been a vocal cat before, so it was worrying to see her like this.

“Shut up. Stop this now!” David loomed over the brown tabby, reaching his limits. Not only was Chloe directly disobeying his orders, but her cat was getting out of hand too! Max paid him no mind and kept desperately clawing at the door. He tried doing what Chloe does to tell Max to stop something, the usual pap on the head but Max struck him with paw and hissed, flattening her ears against her skull. He jerked his hand back and growled, “This goddamn she-devil!!”

“God, David please stop that! You’re scaring her even more!”

“You think that demon spawn feels fear?! She’s just being a nuisance!” David snarled. Max hunched her back and bared her fangs before returning to her mewling and scratching. Joyce decided to open the door and see where this would lead. But the moment she did Max bolted into the streets. Joyce shrieked and called out after her, “Max!!” She ran a few steps, but the brown tabby was already a few feet away, bolting with unmatched speed under cars and over bushes. Joyce panted and held her head with her hands, oh god, oh god Chloe cannot afford to lose anyone else anymore!!

“Good riddance.” David sighed, rubbing his arm where Max had struck him.

Max felt the wind in her fur as she sped through the streets, occasionally slipping between people’s feet giving them the scare of their lives. A big brown tabby dashing right past them with panic in her movements. She knew something was wrong; she could feel it. Chasing after Chloe’s scent like a wild predator. She padded into the junkyard, hopping up over piles of junk with speed and agility. She perked on the top of the pile and scanned the surroundings, she finally spotted her. Chloe holding a bat, roaring as she smashed down an old broken tv. Screaming at the top of her lungs and channeling all her frustration with the swing of her arms. She threw the bat aside and struggled to pick up a hefty toolbox and toss it over. Then finally collapsing on her knees, arms crossed over the squashed car that was once her dad’s. Her chest heaving, her arms trembling, her fingers sore and her entire body began to shut down.

A cluster of sparks crackled in her abdomen, tension rose in her limbs as her breath began to become more shallow and rapid. She struggled to breathe, she grabbed her shirt where her lungs were, clawing at it. Her eyes wide with panic. She was alone, with William gone, her mother too lovestruck to even care, and after scaring Max last night, the terrifying thought grew claws that choked the air out of her lungs. She collapsed to her side, clutching her shirt with her fists and her knuckles turned white. Her breath raspy and labored. Max immediately rushed in and wriggled into her arms, letting her feel her fur and dig her nails into her belly. She licked Chloe’s face, again, panicking when she got hair stuck in her tongue.

Chloe couldn’t recall what happened, all she remembered was that Max was there when she opened her eyes. On the ground with her, huddling closer to her and panting like she ran a mile. Wait… Where was she anyway? Chloe’s eyes widened when she remembered, she was in the junkyard. Miles away from home. And Max was there, snuggling her face, paws dirty. And it all came flooding back, the dam collapsed. The well overflooded and Chloe cried. “Max.” She sobbed, “Max!” She trembled, digging her face into this incredible cat’s fur. “Max!!” Every atom in her being screamed in unison. She cried as if the ferocity would bring William back. Her shoulders shivering from the raw screams that escaped her throat. And through it all, Max stayed.

Chloe returned home, messy hair, black circles under her eyes, legs sore. Nestled in her arms was Max, tail curled around her forearm so tight. Joyce was worried, David almost gave her a full-blown lecture but her mother had stopped him. All Chloe wanted to do was get to bed that night. She crawled under the sheets, watching as Max sat on the floor watching her attentively. _So you ran all that just for me? You’re a weird fucking cat Max._ Chloe thought.

“C’mere.” She tiredly patted the space next to her. Max didn’t need to be told twice, she hopped onto the mattress and headbutted Chloe’s nose, purring and snuggling closer to her. Chloe’s fingers ran through Max’s fur, rough, tangled and dirty from today’s adventure. It didn’t matter.

_Happy 16_ _th_ _birthday, Chloe Price._

* * *

“Max, move over!” Rachel laughed. She finally convinced Chloe to try on some make-up before they hit the road to another concert. Max, however, was fascinated by the mascara brush in Rachel’s hand.

“Mrah!” Max swiped at it; Rachel yelped as she almost dropped it. Chloe giggled, tried keeping her eyes looking up but she couldn’t.

“Fuck, you two are unbelievable! I can’t work like this!” Rachel smirked.

“That’s the Price of dating me, Rach.” Chloe simpered. Rachel shoved her before focusing on her task. “Hold still, Chloe!” She rolled her eyes.

“I can’t, Max is… Max is kneading my stomach it’s fucking tickling!” Chloe fought back laughter. Rachel crossed her arms and looked at Max, making biscuits on Chloe’s tummy, closing her eyes and purring. “Come on girl, off with you.” Rachel reached out but as usual, Max never lets Rachel touch her. The brown tabby ducked away and hissed at her.

“Not this again.” Rachel groaned.

“Rachel hurry the fuck up we’re gonna be late.” Chloe grumbled. “This whole idea was fucking stupid. I look ridiculous-“

“No. You look hot. I just need to do one more thing.” Rachel pecked the bluenette’s lips, causing her cheeks to turn red. She lowered herself to Max’s level and sighed, “Max, the boss with cattitude, can I please borrow Chloe just for a while? I promise to return her before midnight.” Rachel glanced at Chloe, who smirked and winked at her.

The cat seemed to consider her offer.

“Pretty please?” Rachel fluttered her eyelids and Max hopped off trying to find something new to play with.

“Well shit! I never thought you’d get through to her.”

“What can I say? I’m a leo. Us cats, we understand each other.” Rachel smirked, “I think I’m done, babe.” Rachel walked to the mirror, lipstick in hand.

“I’ll go get the truck ready.” Chloe stood up and gave Rachel a quick kiss on the cheek before heading out. Max just stared, tail flicking with annoyance. The shiny, bold red lipstick in Rachel’s hands caught her attention though and her pupils dilated. Once Rachel heard the truck’s horn go off, she panicked and stuffed everything in her makeup bag and tossed it on the bed before storming off. Not bothering to really close it.

Max hopped down and made her way to the bed, nudging the bag with her muzzle off the bed and hearing the satisfying sound of its contents spilling on the floor. She leaped off the bed and sniffed each item carefully before her nose bumped into the lipstick Rachel was holding. Its golden rim caught the glare from Chloe’s bedroom lights and reflected it, piquing Max’s interest.

Chloe returned home that night after dropping Rachel off at her house, she walked into her room completely drained. She cursed when she found Rachel’s makeup bag on the floor, _fuck she must’ve forgotten it. I’ll take it back to her later._ She crouched down and picked all the stuff up, shoving them back into the bag. She held what seemed to be a lipstick cap, but didn’t find the lipstick itself. She looked around the room. _Oh fuck, Rachel’s gonna flip shit if she actually lost her lipstick._ She bit her lip, she looked under the bed and the drawers, nothing.

The moment Chloe turned around she stopped dead in her tracts. It was safe to say, she figured out what happened to Rachel’s lipstick. Max froze in her place, having been caught by Chloe red-pawed. Literally.

Rachel’s phone buzzed that night.

 **Chloe** **4:34 AM**

guess you need a new lipstick rach

_Photo_

Rachel rose a brow, confused until the image of the brown tabby with red smears all over her face, neck and paws appeared. Her mouth fell agape before she descended into fits of laughter. The tabby clearly didn’t regret that, feisty little thing. And the lipstick was gone! All of it! There were lots of indentations on the metal rim too, she must’ve been biting the shit out of it.

 **Rachel** **4: 36 AM**

HOLY SHIT LMAO

You owe me a new one, Price.

 **Chloe** **4:37 AM**

you wish

fuck it’s everywhere

* * *

It was like watching a fantasy or sci-fi movie to Kate and Stephanie when they watched Max, a short brunette with freckles disappear under a pile of clothes, then re-emerge as a big brown tabby with the biggest, most adorable blue eyes.

At first there was confusion before Stephanie broke into a gleeful squee and Kate shrieked in shock. They panicked and so did Max apparently, who immediately leaped into Chloe’s arms, nearly knocking the bluenette back causing her to stumble, “Oof!! Shit! Guys, guys!” Chloe screamed, “Can you shut the fuck up and calm down?! Shit, I told her this wasn’t a good fucking idea.” She growled.

“Holy shit Chloe can I pet her?!” Stephanie reached out, bouncing in her place. Chloe ducked away, pulling Max closer to her chest, “Fuck no, you’re scaring the shit out of her.”

Chloe cursed beneath her breath. She knew it was a bad idea to tell these people, but Max insisted. She said she felt bad about running off and abandoning everyone like that, she owed them an explanation at least. Chloe called bullshit; she doesn’t owe anybody anything. But Max insisted. Chloe agreed on one condition, for now, only Kate, Trevor and Stephanie felt trustworthy to her. And so, Chloe and Max had told the group to stay late till after the party finished. Dana couldn’t give two shits, she was probably buzzed out of her mind and too busy making out with Justin anyway. Daniel had to leave early since his parents called. Brooke and Warren had left too. So here they were, Trevor, Stephanie and Kate looking at the pair with curious eyes.

“Is there any explanation behind this?” Kate asked softly, still a bit too frightened of Max herself.

“Dunno. One day I woke up and found her like this.” Chloe shrugged, her knees had grown tired of carrying Max for an extended time, so she sat down on a chair, the others sat next to her on the floor and kept discussing possible theories as to how Max ended up like that. Stephanie went wild with imagination, conjuring up a long lost werecat empire. Trevor was drunk so he probably won’t remember any of this. He just lied on his back, hands behind his head. Chloe kept brushing Max’s fur, trying to calm her down.

“Can I pet her now?” Stephanie grinned, arms in the air with grabby hands.

Chloe grunted, she’s going to have to get used to sharing Max with everyone. She looked down at her, Max hopped off her thighs landing on the ground without a sound. Kate jumped back a little, probably mumbling a prayer. Despite Stephanie basically begging the brown tabby to come to her, Max flicked her tail and turned back to the girl in angel costume. She slowly approached her and felt the girl before her tense up. Chloe watched as Max, as gentle as ever, rubbed her head against Kate’s knee. Encouraging the girl to reach out to her.

Kate hesitantly brushed her fingertips against Max’s big fluffy head, feeling her hand sink in soft fur, tickling her palm. She chuckled nervously, “She’s so…” She tittered.

“Mrah.” Max sat on Kate’s lap and curled into a big fuzzball. Despite Kate’s body stiffening at first, she relaxed when Max lay still, eyes closed. “She’s so gentle.” Kate smiled, scratching the top of Max’s head.

“Not so scary now huh?” Chloe smirked.

Kate shook her head, “She reminds me of my bunny Alice. Just a lot bigger.” Stephanie leaned closer and soon a second hand scratched Max’s back. “Oooh, you big baby.”

“Scratch under her chin, she’s fucking crazy for it.” Chloe snickered.

Kate curiously did as she instructed and her heart swelled when Max rolled onto her back, enamored by the chin scratches so much so that her purrs got louder, and she leaned her head back further. The group laughed.

Max snapped from her daze and perked up, she got off Kate’s lap and returned to Chloe’s side. She leaped onto her thighs, Chloe chuckled, and tickled Max’s sides then gave her some belly rubs as Max lied on her back, paws in the air. Occasionally catching one of her fingers with her jaws and nibbling lovingly on her fingers.

“So, what happened with that girl you were with earlier?” Trevor finally spoke up.

“You mean Olivia?” Chloe glanced at him, she shrugged. “When I walked out with Max, I didn’t see her. Guess she booked it.” Her eyes returned to Max, still nibbling and pawing at her hand. “She was cool, I guess. Girl’s got balls to make a move on someone she’d only seen twice.” She snickered.

“Cool.” Trevor nodded. _He’s wasted_. Chloe snorted.

Eventually, Chloe returned from the bathroom with Max back in all her freckled glory. She felt a lot more comfortable with everyone now that they know her other half. She hugged her knees to her chest, leaning into Chloe’s shoulder while everyone sat around the campfire in the backyard and told scary stories. Trevor threw his arms in the air as a jumpscare causing Kate to yelp and cling to Steph who scolded him. Chloe watched but kept silent, occasionally snickering or laughing along. Her hand never left Max’s.

* * *

“What do you mean she hasn’t stopped vomiting?!” Kate panicked.

“I mean she hasn’t stopped puking shit since she woke up! C’mon Kate you’re the only one I know with experience around here, what do I fucking do?!” Chloe panicked, one hand pressing the phone to her ear, the other rubbing Max’s back as she threw up into the toilet.

“I-I don’t know, Alice has never – I mean, take her to the hospital, she’s not just a cat Chloe!” Kate panicked, tapping furiously into her laptop ‘Why does my cat keep puking?’ into the search engine.

“Kate, for fuck sake the moment they see her they’ll suspect something! Max isn’t exactly human either!”

“Chloe, I’m flattered you called me but I genuinely know nothing about cats!” Kate gulped, skimming through articles related to possible reasons behind Max’s sudden illness. “When was the last time you’ve taken her to a vet?”

 _Oh, shit._ Chloe sighed in frustration, ever since William died, Chloe’s forgotten to take Max to her usual checkups.

“C-Chloe?” Kate hesitated.

“I’ll call you back, Kate, thanks.” Chloe shoved her phone in her pocket. She directed her attention back to the brunette who had just finished.

“Max, I need you to hear me out, okay?” she took her face gently in her arms, wiping her mouth with a towel. The brunette blinked hard and nodded. “Can you go cat, Max?” Turning cat was a lot easier, so the brunette shifted on her fours and let Chloe pick her up and dash out of the apartment in a hurry.

_Oh crap, not this place!! I should’ve seen this coming!_

Max wriggled weakly in Chloe’s arms. Mewling in distress as Chloe walked into the vet clinic. She has hated it here ever since she was a kitten, she didn’t think she’d come back so soon!

“Max, fucking – stop!!” Chloe growled, shifting Max around in her arms trying to get a good grip on her. Everyone stared at her with confusion, not many people chose to carry their cats around. Instead they use carrier boxes. _Well fuck them, Max’s place is right here. Even though my arms are hella fucking sore…_ Chloe winced.

She explained the situation to the nurse, and she was immediately taken to emergency care. Max was taken to the triage where they checked her vitals, with her squirming around the entire time requiring two nurses to hold her down while the doctor worked with her. Chloe watched biting her nail, occasionally calling out to Max softly to calm her down.

Once the doctor removed his stethoscope he smiled at Chloe, “Nothing too serious, but she’s really dehydrated. We’ll get her on some fluids and I’m gonna need to ask you a couple of questions regarding her diet.”

“Uh sure,” Chloe rubbed her sweaty palms against her jeans. While the team worked around, Chloe managed to help Max calm down. She took hold of Max’s head gently and kissed between her eyes, “Shh, babygirl I’m here.” She cooed. “It’s gonna be okay, girl. I’m right here.” She whispered, scratching behind Max’s ears. They let Max lie on her stomach, Chloe holding her paw the entire time. She winced when she saw the IV catheter pierce into her other paw. Max just lied there eyeing Chloe with so much trust, yet she’d flick her tail from time to time.

“Looks like Max here’s an old friend!” The doctor chuckled while he reviewed her file, “Says here her last check up was in April 2008.”

“Uh yeah I haven’t… Had the chance to bring her here anymore. Lots of shit went down.” Chloe said, glancing at Max.

“Understandable. Well, everything seems to be fine, but her blood pressure has dropped and as I said she’s dehydrated. You said she’s been vomiting since when?”

Chloe explained the whole situation, the doctor told her this could be a possible case of food allergy. He gave her an antiemetic should Max vomit ever again and told her to keep a close watch on her diet. Otherwise, an allergy cannot be really cured. After dealing with the fees and everything, Chloe picked Max gently and walked back into her truck, settling the big feline on her lap.

“How do you feel?” She mumbled, stroking her fur lovingly. Max flicked her ear and licked her palm, purring. She looked better.

Chloe called Kate once they got home and explained everything, the sweet girl really was an angel. She wished Max and Chloe well before hanging up. Chloe stuck with the diet the doctor suggested for Max, he called it something weird. Medical mumbo jumbo, but Chloe got the gist of it.

She chugged down on her beer can, stroking Max’s brown hair as the girl nuzzled closer into her chest. Max sat between her knees, tucked safely in a blanket as she drank green tea, eyes fixed on the tv, purring softly as Chloe tangled her fingers in her rich brown locks.

Max reached to her neck and tried to itch, but Chloe gently swatted her hand away. “No itching Max, doc’s orders.” She smirked. The brunette huffed, “I wasn’t gonna do anything.”

"Horseshit.” Chloe snickered. “How’re we feeling, Max-attack?”

“Mmm, sooo much better.” Max chuckled, snuggling closer into Chloe making her heart flutter with giddy. Chloe hugged her, resting her head on her shoulder, “You scared the shit out of me.”

“We handled it though.” Max reached a hand, nails scratching against Chloe’s scalp as the two melted into each other’s warmth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU SO MUCH Rainboq for betaing and helping me out! Please check out her story [**Chloe and the Beast**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24222208) (24710 words) by [**Rainboq**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainboq) It inspired this work!  
> And thank you all so much for your prompts and support< 33  
> -BlueKip


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe has a weird dream.

Everything is so much bigger and taller than me. It’s fucking bizarre. It looks like I’m in the skate park just lounging around. I see my friends dip into the bowl on their skateboards and for some reason I just decide to watch. Trevor loses balance over a flat rail and crashes his crotch against the metal before he hits the floor howling with pain, I cackle. Dudes getting hit right in the dick never fail to entertain me. 

I get up and stretch my paws and back and let out a big yawn. I decide to pay my friends a visit so I trot my way to them, easily avoiding other skaters that weave their way through the park. 

When I approach them, I let out a loud mewl to catch their attention. Stephanie, who’s sitting at the top of a half pipe platform sees me and lets out a gleeful squea.

“Holy shit guys! It’s Chloe again!”

“Steph, for the last fucking time, stop calling stray cats names.” Justin rolls his eyes.

“They’re just jealous of you, Chlo. Now gimme a high five, girl!” Steph snickers, offering a hand to me. I strike it with my paw then fist-bump her back. Her hand brushes through my blueish grey fur and scratches my back. Cool, cool! So fucking good! Back scratches are the fucking best!! 

She moves in to carry me, but I quickly wriggle out of her grasp and give her a little hiss. She quickly recoils with her hands in the air, “Okay, okay! Geez! I get it. You don’t like to be carried!” She laughed.

“She’s a no touchy kinda cat.” Justin nods.

“So, what’s the scoop, Chloe? Wanna skate with us?” Stephanie turns to me.

“Fuck yeah!” I reply, though I know they can’t understand what I’m saying. They probably just heard a meow or something. 

Stephanie takes her skateboard and puts a leg on the deck, she pats her knees. “C’mon, Chlo! Let’s show these suckers how it’s done.”

I quickly hop onto the laminated deck of the board, between her ankles and I sit down. Fur bristled with anticipation. Finally, Stephanie pushes off and we roll down the half pipe with her letting out a loud whoop of excitement. I just close my eyes and feel the wind in my fur, brushing back my whiskers. I don’t fight the movement, I just let it flow and it’s fucking amazing. Stephanie flows through the crowd like water. We move towards a metal railing past Trevor who was still on the floor, she yells, “Sup Trev!” and laughs as we zoom past him. I jump off the board and watch her slide over the handrail as I quickly move down the stairs. Her board meets the ground and she keeps pushing through with me running right next to her. I jump back aboard with ease and lay my head on the board, lazily watching the people go by.

I see something white flash behind us and I turn back. There’s a brunette holding a camera, sitting by herself on the bench. She was pretty cute for a human with those freckles splotches all over her cheeks. The camera in her hands grabs my attention, one of my previous owners had a camera like that. They call it polaroid. He was such a kind man, it reminded me of him. Makes me wanna play with it. Out of curiosity I hop off the board muttering, “Kay, Steph. Here’s my stop.” And I pad over to this beautiful human girl. I’m usually not so trusting towards humans; I’ve had my fair share of experiences with assholes. So, I approach cautiously, dismissing the sound of Steph calling my name. Her sound bounces off my mind as I zero in on the photographer girl.

I stop dead in my tracts, I have a better idea.

Chloe the sneak master! I dive into the nearby bushes and circle around the bench, coming in from behind. I leap onto the bench. Good, looks like she didn’t notice me. She had her back to me still cause she was focusing on taking pictures of people, but her hair was tucked neatly behind her ear. I try to sneak a peek at her photos when she suddenly turns to me and looks straight into my eyes. “Boo!” 

“SHIT!” I exclaimed with a jump, landing on all fours. How the fuck did she see me?!

“What were you doing back there, you lil fuzzy thief?” She smirked.

“Hey Max!” Steph interjects, gliding closer as the board slowly comes to a stop. “I saw ya snapping pics of me. Did you make me look good?” She laughed.

“You’re a natural, Steph. And besides,” She turns to me with a knowing look. “It’s not everyday I see a skater cat.” 

I grumble. Flattery won’t get you anywhere, pretty stranger. 

I hear Stephanie laugh as she pats my head. “Oh yeah! This here is Chloe!” She says with a grin. 

“Russian Blue cats are always smart and mischievous. Nice to meet you, Chloe! Is she yours?” She reaches a hand to pet me, but I lean away. I still don’t trust her. 

“Ah no, it sucks.” Stephanie sighs, scratching the crown of my head. “My parents would fucking flip on me if I got a cat. I really love her though, she’s amazing.”

“I can tell she is. She snuck up on me all quiet.” Max grins sweetly at me, but I just turn my back to her.

* * *

It’s nighttime now. The nice lady from this diner offered me my dinner for the day. Humans are fucking idiots for leaving behind all this delicious food. Satiated and satisfied, I walk back to my place. A narrow alleyway. These old walls are not perfect like the modern, sleek buildings of the city, and trust me I’ve been everywhere. But the flaws of these walls towering above me is what renders them beautiful still. Many noises come from the apartment windows above despite the quiet streets. There it is! An old, discarded and shredded pillow. I lay down and stretch my paws. I can’t get the picture of that ‘Max’ out of my head. The moment I laid my eyes on her I knew she’s gonna change my fucking life. 

Quit dreaming, Chloe. You’ve sworn to yourself to never return to the house cat life, you’re better off on your own. Better leave than be left behind. Hurts less that way. 

I shrug and feel my eyelids become heavy with drowsiness, but the sudden sounds of barking tears through the fucking night. And patter of paws woke me with a start. I narrow my pupils as I sprint down the alley to spot the source and find a group of dogs chasing after a cat. Those fucking snobs! I swear I’ll kick their ass. I bolt after them, having the advantage of knowing every shortcut in this town. I arrive in just the right moment, jumping down a construction pole right in the middle between the cat and these ugly drooling dogs.

“Pick on somebody your own size, pigs!” I hiss, ears pinned, back arched and tail held high.

“Back off, flea bag! This is none of your business!” A rottweiler growls at me.

“You good?” I glance back at the cat behind me. They nod hesitantly, backing off into a corner. 

“Hey, wait, I know you!” A blonde saluki she-dog says with a smirk. I know her too well. 

“Bitchtoria.” I hiss.

“You’re the Prices’ house cat- oh oops! Or should I say, the Madsens’.” She howls in laughter, the rest of her friend mutts laughing along. My fur bristles as my pupils narrow with rage, I bare my fangs and growl, “Fuck off! I’m not theirs anymore!!” 

“Riiight, right. THEN that Rachel gal took you in. But she replaced you with a dog.” Victoria fake gasps. “Goodbye Chloe, hello Pompidou!” 

“Shut the fuck up!! I’m not a kiss-ass pet like you.”

“That’s right. You’re a stinking street cat now, you’re unloveable, Kari. That’s why your humans left you.” Victoria grins and I don’t give her a chance to react at all. I pounce on the bitch, all fangs and claws and it was the most painful, terrible night of my fucking life.

* * *

“-poor thing. Who did this to you?” Another voice this time I wake up. I feel soft human arms carry me gently and something warm wrapping securely around me. No, no, shit! I gotta wake up, I gotta run! I can’t be taken, not ever!

But my strength fails me, and I black out again.

When I come to, I find myself lying on my belly against a soft cushion. I look at my bandaged paws and wince when the memories of last night come rushing into my mind. I look at my surroundings apprehensively, drinking the sight in. It was a fancy fucking house I’ll give them that. Very much different than… Than the last house I’ve been in. Fuck it, though. Thanks for all the hospitality and all that shit, but there’s no fucking way I’m staying here. I limp towards the front door and curse when I don’t find a cat door.

“Leaving so soon?” I hear.

I turn back and my pupils dilate. It’s Max, sitting at the foot of her bed with a book in her hand, grinning at me like she’d just won the fucking lottery or something.

I scratch at the door.

“You’re hurt. I can’t let you out on the streets. Not yet.” She says calmly. She walked towards me and reached out, I quickly pulled back at hissed at her. She chuckles and just sits there, hugging her knees.

“I know you want to be free. I know. But you’re wounded. I can’t let anything happen to you.” She says and walks out. Leaving me to grumble by myself.

* * *

I don’t understand Max. She’s quite the puzzle. So mysterious and unique it draws me in. And she seems to think the same about me. I catch her checking in on me every now and then, I try not to pay her any mind. I’m only staying until I get better, when I do, I’m fucking bailing. 

Come lunch time, she offers me a bowl of this rich ass cat food. Hm! These humans have taste! I waste no time digging in, leaving a mess around but fuck it, I’m the boss in here. I don’t abide by the fucking rules. House or no house. 

* * *

I sit next to the fan, lying peacefully on my side. Enjoying the soft breeze brushing past me when I hear her approach. I snap back and I find her trying to take a picture of me with her polaroid, she quickly hides the camera behind her back. I flick my tail with annoyance, and I stand on all fours and walk away. My peaceful evening ruined.

* * *

That night, I decide to sleep on the couch. Away from anyone. I perk up though, because I heard footsteps approaching. There’s Max again, with a bunch of blankets, smiling at me shyly. She spreads the blankets on the floor, throws in a pillow or two then sleeps next to the couch. Next to me. I growl and give her my back. I want none of this bullshit. I don’t trust her.

“Thought you’d like some company.” I hear her say.

“No. Leave me alone.” I grumble.

“No one deserves to be left behind, right?” 

I perk my ears and open my eyes. I turn my head and see her facing me with a sleepy smile.

“Night, Chloe.”

I stay silent.

* * *

The next day she prepares a meal for me. This time it smells fucking delicious. It’s one of those minced beef ones! And it looks extra juicy, I can’t wait to – Hold on…

I smell it closely, something smells fishy. Did she slip something into my food? I look back at her with an unamused look. She just grins sheepishly, “Go ahead! Dig in!” She pushes the bowl closer. I push it back. “You wanna drug me or something?” I raise a brow.

“Come on, Chloe, you have to eat it!” Max pushes it back to me.

“Not happening.” I shove it back this time with a growl.

She sighs. The next thing she does is stupid and hilarious at the same time. She takes a piece from the tin can, her face cringing with disgust as she eyed it with worry. It’s so fucking amusing to me that I can’t help but watch.

“Look! Yum, uh… Beef!! Delish!” She tittered.

“Prove it.” I smirk.

Fuck, I didn’t think she’d actually do it! I look at her with bewilderment as she bites down on raw meat. She gagged at first, but kudos to her! She held it in! She smiled at me; she clearly didn’t swallow it yet.

I blink at her, impressed but not really convinced.

Her shoulders drop as she gave me an ‘are you kidding?’ look, she rose an index finger telling me to wait. And with a gulp, she swallows. She gags a bit more, convulses and shudders but she gives me an ‘all good’ sign. “See-“ She coughs, squeezing her eyes shut. “Totally safe! No antibiotics at all-“ She looks like she’s gonna belch. Of course, she must’ve put some meds in my bowl that’s why she avoided eating from it directly. I smirk, all right Max. You got me. That took some serious lady balls, so I start to eat and watch her run off to the bathroom in a hurry.

* * *

One night she tried to change my bandages and disinfect my wounds. I wanted to get away, I don’t like being touched by strangers. But she tired me out and I gave up. So here I am now, watching her clean my wounds with a gentle smile, her eyebrows slightly knitted in concentration. 

“When I found you all bloodied up in that alley I…” She looks distraught. She sighs, “I thought I lost you. Rushed you into a vet clinic.” She took out brand new bandages and started wrapping them around my paw. 

“You were microchipped. I tried calling your owner but they wouldn’t pick up.” 

“Fuck him.” I growl slightly at the mention of David. 

“I was so fucking… Enraged and upset. How could someone abandon their companion like this? You could’ve died out there if I hadn’t…” She trails off then shakes her head. “While you’re here, I won’t let anything happen to you. Okay?”

“They all say that.” I grumble.

Once she’s done, she brings in her camera and a bunch of polaroids to look through them. This piqued my interest. I cautiously approach her, eyes glued to the films in her hands. She sees me and chuckles, “They’re for my portfolio. Endorsed by Mark Jefferson himself.” She winks at me like I’m supposed to know who that is. “Do you like them?”

Her pictures never depicted a still, unmoving object. The muse in all of the photos she took was on the move. A skater girl gliding past blurred people in the park, a fish leaping out of its bowl, the droplets of water reflected the light from behind it and its golden scales catching a brilliant glow. Every subject in those pictures is a blur of motion. And the last pic was of a blue bird, flying out of its nest with its wings spread wide. Something about these pictures felt so familiar to me. The need to always be on the move and never settle down, the need to break free. Go somewhere new.

I must’ve not noticed her hand touch my fur, but she’s doing it anyway. She scratches my back gently and I close my eyes. Purring softly as her hand travels to my cheek. 

“You want to be free, too, don’t you?” She whispers. I just lean into her touch. Staring into her ocean blue eyes with my own. And in there, no matter how hard I search, I don’t find betrayal. I don’t find abandonment. I find endless love and sincerity. And I want to trust her, I want to.

* * *

“Looks like the infection’s gone and the wounds are healing pretty nicely!” The vet smiles at me. 

“Get off me, fucker!” I growl as I flail my limbs about trying to get out. There’s too much touching going on for my comfort. The nurse next to him tries to pin me down but Max places a hand on her shoulder gently. She then strokes my cheek and kisses my nose, telling me it’s going to be okay. “They’re just running some tests on you. You’re okay, Chloe.” She whispers. I feel my stiff body let loose and relax. Feeling more annoyed than angry.

“It’s always good to see a pet trust their owner.” The doctor smiles. Max just smiles and nods.

* * *

“Well, a promise is a promise.” She picks me up with those gentle careful hands.

“What’re you doing?” I ask.

She settles me down carefully in the alleyway she found me in and sits back, hugging her knees to her chest as she stares at me expectantly. 

“You wanted to be free, didn’t you? I won’t hold you back.” She says quietly. I never expected… But why did she help me? Why’s she letting me go suddenly? I never thought…

I turn my head to this old place I call home. Then I turn back to her. She’s still sitting there; I can practically smell her nervousness. I hesitate some more then I jolt at the flash of a camera and the whirring sound that follows. She took out the developing photo of me and smiled at it. “Sorry if it startled you, I just wanted something to remember you by.” 

And with that she stands up and walks towards her car. I take a few steps behind her absent-mindedly. Where else am I going to find so much fucking love and warmth?

I mewl loudly after her and break into a sprint, she turns back, eyes darting around to see me. Only she finds me already nestled on the driver seat, paws tucked beneath me. She beams at me with that dorky smile of hers.

“What’re you looking at?! Let’s fucking go, nerd!” I snicker.

“You sneaky little thing!” She laughs, “Final call?” She raises a brow with a smug smile.

“Doy!!” I mewl.

“Scoot over then, kitty!” She shoos me. I bite at her hand playfully and she recoils with an ‘ouch!’

“Serves you right. Don’t call me that.” I snicker and move over to the passenger seat.

“Okay, we gonna lay down some rules.” She closes the car door after her, “No biting me! Only snuggles!” She leans over to me and presses a kiss to the top of my head.

“Last one, ready Chloe?” She grins and brings her camera to her eye again.

FLASH!

I woke up with a start, panting wildly. I hear Max yelp and roll off me, my dad’s Polaroid camera in her hands.

“Crap, sorry!! Didn’t mean to wake you up!” She raised her hands defensively.

“What… I…” I took a moment to calm down. I swallowed hard and sighed, rubbing my temples. “Max I had the weirdest fucking dream, I w-“ A polaroid picture caught my attention. I picked it up, it was of me sleeping. I crossed my eyebrows, “You took this photo you brat?!” I exclaimed as I grabbed a pillow and smashed it into Max sending her into fits of laughter. 

“You look cute when you sleep.” She retorted.

“And she’s a creep too! Stalker alert!” I hit her with the pillow again, getting a shriek out of her. I laughed too as I grabbed her arms and pinned her back on the bed, putting on my best shit-eating grin. “Look at you, I’ve gotten you so smitten that you’re taking pics of me.”

“Maybe I just wanna try my new photography skills.” She shrugged dismissively, fighting back a smile. “I am taking online courses after all.”

“Yeah right, only they’re made by some hipster on skillshare.” I snorted rolling my eyes.

“Hey! Mark Jefferson is not a hipster! Besides, you’re the one who introduced me to the internet!” She tried shoving my shoulder, but I caught her hand and kissed her knuckles. She chuckled shyly and we both fell into silence just staring into each other’s eyes. I hear her purr softly, and I remembered.

“So, what was your dream about?” She asked.

“Not telling you.”

“Come ooon, Chloe!” She begged, “You know you can trust me, right?”

I laughed and pressed my lips to hers. “I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for 100 kudos and nearly 2k hits! Your support means everything to me, I'm so happy you're all enjoying this wonky story so far!  
> Also HUGE FUCKING thanks to DMMeeble for suggesting the prompt, Rainboq for beta'ing and for her useful suggestions and also Olga for beta'ing too! Much love to all of you guys ♡♡  
> Stay safe!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max defeats instinct.

Chloe’s alarm startled her awake. She cursed beneath her breath, and sighed sharply, _oh fuck off!!_ She stopped her buzzing phone beneath her pillow and snuggled closer against Max’s back. Her arms wrapping securely around her waist and her legs around her hips. She buried her head into the crane of Max’s neck and pressed her lips to her freckled skin. Max stirred but cuddled closer, mumbling sleepily, “No not… The neck. Chin.”

Chloe opened an eye and bit back a chuckle, nevertheless, what Max wants, Max gets. Chloe leaned against her and left a trail of kisses down her jaw stopping right at her chin. Max rolled onto her back, still asleep yet leaned her head back involuntarily, her breath accompanied by a barrage of soft purrs. Chloe placed her arms on Max’s shoulders for support and kissed under Max’s chin. Making sure to let her lips linger there for a few seconds before leaning back. She found Max wide awake grinning like the Cheshire cat.

“That a new kink of yours, Maxie?” Chloe teased.

“What’s a kink?” Max’s grin was gone by now.

“I’ll tell you later.” Chloe winked before she pecked Max’s lips gently, leaving Max a red-hot mess as she got out of bed.

The two girls got out of bed to begin their morning routine, Chloe hurriedly slipping into her overalls while Max brews her coffee (she’s still bad at it and it tastes so fucking bitter but Chloe braved through it every time, she can’t not drink what Max makes her).

The brunette was busy pouring the coffee into a paper disposable cup when she jolted in her place after a loud smack. Her left butt-cheek stung, and she whipped to Chloe with a baffled expression painted on her face, fighting a laugh. The taller of the two snatched the cup from the counter, cackling, “Fuck yeah! Hehehehe,” she took a sip of her coffee and winked at the paralyzed flustered mess that was Max.

“You’re unbelievable, Chloe!!” Max called out after her, watching her leave with pure childish laughter despite her adult years. She also heard her choke on her coffee, “Yeah that’s what you get!!!” She yelled. It’s never a dull day with Chloe.

* * *

Max’s day had just begun. She had tuna for breakfast and some hotdog leftovers from the fridge. Sorry, Chloe. I know these are yours, but that’s what girlfriends are for. Eating the food you hide. She munched happily as she watched tv. Then she started getting ready for today’s tea date with Kate. It was a routine she was working on getting used to. Meet new people, explore the neighborhood on her own, mingling with other humans. Her journey documented with photos she took with her polaroid camera, which was quickly becoming her most prized possession. After all, it belonged to William, and Chloe trusted her with it.

On her way to the local coffee shop, about 3 blocks away, Max passed by many stray cats. Each one she met would stop whatever it was doing and stare at her with dilated pupils, she didn’t think much of it and kept shuffling through the streets. Followed by one cat. Then two, then five, then a dozen. People stopped in their tracks and ogled her, some even pulled out their phones and recorded the clueless cute girl followed by an army of stray cats all padding along behind her, tails in the air. Only when Max reached the coffeeshop did she notice, the barista stopped her because she can’t let her and her 20 something pet cats in.

“Looks like you’ve got friends.” Kate chimed in. Oh, she must’ve already been there.

“Hi Kate!” Max grinned. She looked at all the felines she’d attracted. “Oh, must be my scent.” She chuckled. She kneeled down and the curious cats approached her. She petted them with both hands, they’d shove and push at each other to get a good scratch behind the ear, mewling loudly and desperate for attention. Kate laughed and recorded a video; _would Chloe be jealous of cats? Of course, she would._

“Hi! You want some love?” Max giggled, her right hand busy petting the back of a black cat, her left stroking the fur of another with a beautiful lavender coat. One cat with cream fur climbed onto her lap. Soon Max would be overwhelmed, Kate recording her mumbling and speaking softly to the other cats with, “Oh, you too? Hi there! You want some scratches? You three? Aww look at you-“

“I think your admirers are still waiting for you.” Kate chuckled, nodding her head towards the window. Outside of which sat five or six cats, lazing around. Max was too busy brushing off all the cat fur that clung to her clothes, causing her to sneeze.

“So, how was your first date with Chloe?”

“It was amazing.” Max beamed, recalling the three-day roadtrip with Chloe. The nights they spent in a small, old motel room. Eating in restaurants along the road. Making obligatory photo-taking stops. Camping on the third day. Her chasing the fireflies in her cat form. Climbing trees. Fighting off a raccoon that bit Chloe’s foot. Cuddling close to Chloe in their tent. The best three days of her life. “Relationships are so… _new_ and… Everything we do together no matter how simple becomes so um… What’s the word-“

“Exciting?”

“Yes!” Max grinned. Kate laughed; she politely thanked the barista who delivered them their chamomile tea.

“And what about your photography lessons? How’s it going so far?”

“I’m still learning but I can’t get enough. Looks like I’ll have to ask Chloe to get some more films. She’s even thinking of putting my pictures on her art wall in the studio.”

“It’ll be like your first personal gallery.” Kate brought the mug to her lips.

The girls spent the rest of their time exchanging news about their lives, Kate’s starting to draw illustrations for a children’s book, Max is discovering her talent in photography. Max likes Kate. She can talk with her about anything. Towards the end of their hangout, Kate suggested she and Chloe should visit her someday. Max was stoked at the idea.

“So, Holier-Than-Thou wants us to hang, huh?” Chloe smirked at Max, turning away from the truck’s hood.

“She just wants to show us the book she’s working on.” Max sat back, watching Chloe work on her old rust bucket. Arms covered in grease and grime to her elbows. “I mean, I’m cool with that.” Said Chloe. “I’m more worried for you. Last I remembered, you’ve had gut-roiling anxiety goin’ on when we visited someone’s place.”

“Yeah but it’s different now. I’m not scared anymore.” Max played with the strap of her camera.

“Fine then, Cat Max. I’ll bite.” Chloe threw a wink her way. Max squirmed; her face ablaze.

* * *

“Hi!” Kate greeted enthusiastically, stepping back to let the pair into her humble student apartment. It was a cozy, private and spotless accommodation with white walls, a desk with a laptop and other notebooks on top, sliding closest opposite to the bed and a red carpet. And right there in the corner is her pet bunny’s cage.

The moment she spotted the bunny, Max slipped into her cat form in alarm. She’d totally forgotten Kate had a pet bunny. Chloe just sat back and witnessed the spectacle while Kate fetched them drinks. The brown tabby sat on her hind paws, watching the bunny with curious blue eyes as her tailed flicked about. She lowered her head to its level and lied on her side, watching intently as Alice hopped her way to Chloe.

“Sup,” Chloe scratched the top of Alice’s head. The bunny’s little nose wiggled as it looked around nervously. Max’s eyed glued on her with dilated pupils. Max got up and walked closer to the small bunny who froze in her place, Chloe watched Max’s advances apprehensively. She fully believed Max wouldn’t harm Alice, but the way her eyes fixated on the bunny was worrisome.

Max’s instincts told her this was prey. Max’s human thoughts on the other hand were warning her not to hurt the rabbit. She raised a paw carefully, licking her muzzle, contemplating on whether or not she should poke these long ears. _Such long ears! They’re so weird!_

_Pap!_

She struck one of Alice’s ears, the rabbit flinched but wasn’t hurt as there weren’t any claws involved. This didn’t stop it from turning to Chloe hoping to flee. The bluenette laughed nervously, gently putting her hand between the two. “Max, try not to scare the shit out of Alice.”

“What’s up?” Kate asked, two teacups and a soda for Chloe. _Right, because church girl wouldn’t have beer on her._ Chloe snickered.

“Alice’s gonna shit herself. Max’s never seen a bunny up close before.” She explained, “C’mon Max, take it easy.”

“Heh, Chloe-“

“Oh right. Sorry, language came with the hair and the tattoo.”

Kate blinked at her cluelessly. Chloe pointed at her hair, “Y'know cause it’s colorful? Nevermind.”

_Don’t curse too much around church-girl, got it._

Kate had to put Alice in her cage since Max never stopped ogling her with predatory eyes. She didn’t want to admit, but it kind of scared her. Human Max was as harmless as a fly, but cat Max had instincts, and when instincts told her to pounce, she found it hard to resist.

Now in her cage, Alice felt safe. But Max sat next to her, tail flicking.

Kate and Chloe thought that was that. They kept chatting about school life and Kate’s project. Max on the other hand, was having an internal conflict. Her more wild, predatory side wanting to taste blood and flesh, despite knowing in her mind how awful that would be. Unlike the birds and the mice she hunted in the backyard as gifts for Chloe, this animal here has an owner who cared about them. Killing them would prove that all those years, Max had learned nothing.

The girls jolted when Max lashed out a paw through the iron bars, scaring the living hell out of Alice who leaped out of harm just in time. Chloe rushed in and scooped Max up, holding her tight as she heard Kate’s panicked voice yelp, “Max?! W-What just happened-“

“Fuck – Shit!! I’m so sorry Kate I don’t think she did that on purpose!”

“I pray she didn’t!” Kate held a hand against her heaving chest. She put a blanket over the cage, exposing a corner so light can come through to Alice. Only when the rabbit was out of sight did Max’s eyes return to their normal innocent appearance. Chloe sighed and settled Max down gently, “I fucking knew that coming here was a bad idea.” She said, brushing the fur on Max’s back.

“No – please don’t apologize. Max’s behavior is understandable. But I… think it’s best if we separate the two for a while. Maybe introduce them slowly?” Kate chuckled nervously, still pretty shaken at the jumpscare earlier. The girls settled down after that, Max was brought back to her senses and took on her human form again. This caused Kate’s face to catch fire, _give a little warning next time, Max!_ She quickly averted her eyes, her face beet red as she heard clothes shuffling. When Max was decent again, she joined the two girls. But even then, she couldn’t help but steal glances at the covered cage. She can’t see the bunny, but she can still smell and hear her which drove her to her limit.

She felt her pulse quicken, her body aching to slip into feline form and her breath bordering on panting. She swallowed thickly as she fought fiercely to suppress the desire to kill. To sink her fangs into flesh. She squinted her eyes looking at her hands, transforming into large paws with sharp talons that peeked out when she flexed her fingers. _No, Max. Keep it in. You will never hurt the bunny._

The _bunny_.

_The bunny has a name Max. It’s Alice, and she is not a wild animal you can kill._

She can practically hear her little movements, her smell teasing her sensitive nose.

 _You have to fight it. You have to. You’re stronger than these dark desires._ She tried persuading herself. She’s human, she has her own will. She’s not an animal ruled purely by instincts. She can control herself. _Right? I’ve got everything under control._

_Control. Control…_

“Oh! Guys,” Kate’s voice chimed in. Max heard it, but it bounced off her ears like a repellant. She couldn’t afford to lose focus. “My classmate needs a book I borrowed, please excuse me! I won’t be long!” She said softly as she stood up, grabbing a book off her desk and hurrying out of the room.

“Well, Maximoo, looks like Bible-study-girl’s outta the vicinity for a while.” Chloe leaned closer with a suggestive smirk that faded away when she saw just how distressed Max looked. “Max?” She immediately held her trembling arms and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. “I’m trying, Chloe…” She whimpered into Chloe’s blazer. “Shhh hey,” Chloe cooed holding Max who clung to her shirt with her claws, it was as if she’d fall if she ever let go. Chloe winced, feeling sharp nails dig into her shoulders. “What’s wrong?” She asked.

“I’m scared.” Max’s voice trembled.

“Of what?”

“M-Myself… Chloe I’ve been having…” She heard Max swallow hard, “I’ve been having these horrible thoughts of… pouncing at Alice and I’m trying, I swear I am-“

“Hey, hey, hey,” Chloe interjected Max’s rambling, holding her face between her palms. “Look at me, breathe. You breathin?” Max nodded, eyes searching Chloe’s. “Listen to me, you’re not a fucking monster, Max. You didn’t choose this. We can’t do anything about instincts it’s mother-fucking-nature or whatever…” Chloe gestured vaguely with one hand.

“But what if I slip… Chloe… What if I hurt Alice? What if I hurt you?” Tears began streaming down Max’s freckled cheeks. Her body shivered with the overwhelming fear of inflicting harm on someone she loved.

“No, fuck that, you won’t. Max, I fucking know you, you’ve overcome whatever bullshit thrown your way. You’re not some savage animal, you’re human.” Chloe paused, a shrewd smirk playing at her lips. “You’re my girlfriend. You’re fucking kickass.”

Max burst into a fit of giggles, her head swaying in Chloe’s careful hands. “Flatterer.” She mumbled.

“That’s the truth, sista! You better believe it!” Chloe shrugged. She felt Max’s trembling recede, replaced by serenity. “Wanna give it a shot?” She asked, Max shot her a confused look. “With Alice. You wanna try petting her?”

Max licked her lips and bit her bottom lip, looking at the cage intensely as if a monster would spring out of it. Her eyes drifted back to Chloe and she nodded.

“It’s not anything different than petting stray cats,” Chloe said, holding the bunny gently in her arms and sitting it on the bed between her and Max. “Hold your hand out like this,” Chloe took her hand and offered it to the bunny. Alice panicked and wanted to hop away, but Chloe brought her back to the same spot.

“Wait for her. She’ll come to you.” She said.

After a couple moments of stillness, Alice felt safe enough to explore. She moved lazily around the bed, mostly sticking with Chloe. But seeing as Max did not move an inch, she approached cautiously. Her little whiskers wiggling around as she sniffed with her nose. Max’s heart sped, the closer the bunny got, the more adrenaline soared through her blood. But she repressed these thoughts, tried locking them away. She’s capable of giving love, she’s capable of restraining her instincts. Her actions are not defined by her feline nature, she’s human. She can think, she can choose. And she chose to scratch Alice’s cheek, right behind the ear. She chose to pick Alice up gently and settle her into her lap, stroking her back with her two hands. Alice stilled her movements and relaxed, Max started to purr.

“I’m so sorry for holding you back, Kate.” The girl apologized, seeing Kate to her door.

“Oh don’t worry I’m sure-“ Kate glanced at the clock hung on her friend’s wall and her eyes widened at the time. “Oh my, it really is quite late!” She laughed.

“Gosh I’m so sorry! Thanks for the book and well… For listening too.”

“No problem, you can always talk to me when you feel this way, alright? Goodnight!”

Kate waved goodbye at her friend and hurried to her room, she’d hate to admit it. But she was scared that Max had lost control and something bad had happened to Alice. _No, Chloe’s there isn’t she? She wouldn’t let Max hurt her._ Her throat went dry. She prayed that her pet and friends were all okay.

“Hey! I’m back, sorry I-“ Kate stopped mid sentence as she stepped into her room. All her worries dissolved away when she saw Chloe snoozing on her bed, hands behind her back. On her tummy lied a big brown tabby, purring in her sleep. And right there, nestled safely between her paws was Alice. Sleeping soundly, unharmed.

* * *

On one of her fateful tea dates with Kate, Max had discovered that Kate loves homemade tea more than the ones they get served at coffee shops.

“It tastes too bitter and it doesn’t help with my nervousness at all. It agitates me.” Kate would say.

“You get nervous too?”

“Of course, Max. I’m working on my thesis. Sometimes I have to pull all nighters and I end up really anxious with all the work that piles up on me.” Kate explained from her kitchenette. She can hear the clinking of glass as Kate prepared their tea. Alice settled on Max’s lap and slept while the brunette brushed her soft fur.

Anxiety is the term of this ‘always on-edge’ feeling Max gets whenever she goes to new places, or whenever she picks a new scent. The doctor- er… Vet… He said that no medications were needed for Max’s case. But Kate had suggested a safe alternative to relieve stress. “Green tea or chamomile tea, they’re your safest bet, Max!” She grinned softly. “It’s what I’m making you right now. I’ll give you a few packs to use at home, whenever you feel anxiety coming just sip on some tea and you’ll do just fine.” She explained.

Max nodded, she watched as Kate came back with a china and two beautifully decorated porcelain tea cups. Just when she settled the china down on the desk she heard door knocks. “Oh, must be the art supplies I ordered online. Hold tight Max!” She took off quickly, searching for her wallet before rushing to the door.

 _Hmph. Might as well try the tea. Oh, which one’s mine though? Doesn’t matter._ Max shrugged and picked a cup up gently, raising it to her lips.

Her pupils dilated.

“Kay, Max! I’m back! I think they got my order wr-“ Kate froze. Max, for whatever reason, was in her cat form. Rolling around on the floor happily.

“Uh, hehe. What’s up Max?” She asked.

Max didn’t answer, she got on all fours and kept clawing at the rug.

“No, no, no!! Please this is new!” Kate rushed in and picked Max up. Max meowed loudly and insistently, pawing at her playfully and rubbing her head against her face. She got fur all over in her mouth, eyes and oh god Max didn’t settle down! Kate had to put Max back on the floor to get all this fur off her face. She gasped when Max was now climbing the curtains, her sharp claws clutched tightly around it.

“Max please get down!” Kate yelped, she rushed towards Max to get her off, but the oversized cat jumped away. She sprinted across the whole room, with Kate trying to chase after her in the small space that was her room. The brown tabby kept going in circles, tripping and stumbling as she ran, and it almost made Kate dizzy, she occasionally knocked over items like the lava lamp, her sketchbook and oh god, the cross!! Kate managed to catch it before it hit the floor, panting. “Max, what is wrong with you?!” She called out. That’s when she realized _, oh no… I didn’t tell her which tea had catnip in it… Oh, god, did she?!_

She quickly moved to the table where the china was and indeed, the catnip tea was chugged down. Almost half empty. She sighed; she should’ve told Max which tea was hers. For now, she has to deal with a hyperactive Max on catnip. Eventually, Max fell on the floor with a thud and just lied there on her side. Completely wasted.

“Are you done?” Kate sighed, her hair’s a mess from Max’s overly cuddly nature. Max lied still, she mellowed out.

* * *

“You got HIGH?!” Chloe roared in laughter, almost choking. Her sides burned!

“I-It was nothing like that!! Kate said it was a mistake!” Max crossed her arms looking out of the truck’s window at all the cars that they passed by on their way home.

“I’m definitely getting you catnip, Max.” Chloe smirked. “Dude we can get high together!”

“Noooo!” Max covered her face hearing Chloe’s throaty laughter ring pleasantly in her ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of y'all suggested Max on catnip so ayyyy! Also as usual, THANK YOU to DMMeeble for suggesting a cat max meeting Alice, to Rainboq for betaing and helping me out with the ideas too!! CC: Y'all are amazing and I love you< 333  
> Check out Rainboq's story that inspired this work! [**Chloe and the Beast**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24222208) (32622 words) by [**Rainboq**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainboq)  
>  Thank you guys for your lovely support I love you! Stay safe< 3  
> \- Bluekip


	14. The Cat's Tongue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max goes into heat, and nothing will ever be the same.
> 
> A guest chapter by Rainboq.

Max sprawled out on the couch, full of lazy feline grace even while in human form. She wasn’t sure when she had started spending more time as a human than a cat. It had just sort of slowly crept up on her.

But if she had to pick a moment, it was that glorious and wonderful kiss at that Halloween party. After that kiss, it had just seemed… right. Especially around Chloe. She arched her back with a yawn and idly watched the TV, too lost in her thoughts to pay attention.

She was Chloe’s girlfriend now. That’s definitely why she was spending more time as a human. Being her girlfriend and being a cat around her was… weird. It hadn’t been weird at first. But then she’d notice herself changing since she’d met Alice. She’d rejected her primal instincts then. And in the weeks since, she’d notice her ways of thinking changing. She wasn’t sure what they were becoming, but part of her hoped they were more human. And with more human thinking, came more human instincts. She wouldn’t have to worry about hurting anyone’s pets anymore.

Not that she didn’t like being a cat. Swaddled in her cozy fur, with graceful agility and sharp senses her human form lacked. No clothes itching her skin, no strange people trying to make the polite small talk she had finally started to get the hang of, and no _damned bra._

But she sees the way Chloe looks at her while she’s human. There’s this burning in her gaze that isn’t there when she’s a cat. Her posture is different, her voice drops a semitone. She’s more intense, even if it’s just barely noticeable. There’s even a different _smell_. It’s a smell she remembers, when Rachel would come over back when they were living with Joyce and that asshole who hated her.

She remembers what Rachel and Chloe used to do with each other. The sounds, the smells. Hadn’t they been girlfriends?

Was she really Chloe’s girlfriend if she wasn’t doing that stuff too?

Did she want to do that stuff?

Could she do that stuff?

Did Chloe want her to?

She knew those smells from a different place, Chloe had a habit of locking herself in the bathroom for a while after they kissed a lot, or sometimes just randomly. Locking herself in the bathroom with her laptop.

Maybe the laptop held some answers for her?

She had plenty of time to research with Chloe at work.

She reached over the side of the couch and pulled the battered old laptop off the floor. She knew the password even if she didn’t use it much, she was usually content to play around on her phone. She still had to sign up to that program at the library on how to use a computer properly. She knew the basics, but she wanted to learn more when she heard some people talking about editing pictures on them.

She wasn’t expecting the tabs she encountered.

_What’s a Pornhub?_

_Oh._

_Ohhhhhhhhhhhh._

Her throat quickly went dry as she looked at the many, many tabs that Chloe had been looking at the night before.

Her body felt really warm.

Like, _really_ warm.

Her underwear was also weirdly damp.

She brushed a hand over her arm and felt the skin tingle, her arm hair standing on end. Her whole body rippled with the sensation.

She started touching more.

She ached to touch more, her hands roving over her barely clothed body as she watched what Chloe watched.

She started touching the parts she watched the women touching and _holy SHIT._ Her core thrummed with energy, purrs rumbled in her chest as she stroked herself. She definitely wanted to make Chloe feel like this.

She wanted Chloe to make her feel like this even more.

Her fingers found a nub and she _shivered_ with delight. It was too much and she wanted _more_.

She _needed_ more.

She kept working the nub, her toes curling with delight and her legs squirming of their own accord. She moved the laptop off her body and onto their makeshift coffee table of cinder blocks and plywood and rolled onto her side as she kept watching.

Her body ached with want as she felt tension building in her, an elastic band of pleasure slowly being pulled taunt. Her fingers rubbed faster and faster; her arm was starting to ache a little but she needed more. She dipped her other hand down between her legs and a long, low groan escaped her lips as she slipped a finger inside her.

It wasn’t long before her vision was getting spotty, the pleasure stretching to the breaking point before snapping. She gasped as her body shuddered, her hands flying free of herself as her finger tips became claws. Her back arched and she raked her claws over the couch, not even noticing herself shredding it as her extremities were lost in the tingles that quickly flooded the rest of her body.

She lay on the couch, panting, her whole body pins and needles.

She definitely needed to do this to Chloe.

… Maybe she should get some more practice in too.

Chloe flew up the stairs towards their apartment, work had been blissfully light but dull as all hell. _At least I’m not completely fucking sore today, that’s a plus. I’ll actually feel half decent around Max._ The thought of spending time with her girlfriend and not being wracked by the aches in pains of the work day was enough to put a spring in her step as she went down the little hallway.

She was about to put her key into the lock when she smelled something. She paused, taking a few curious sniffs. Then she remembered what the smell was. _Shit, Max is in heat._

She’d had so many arguments with her mom and David about getting Max spayed, especially because whenever the conversation came up Max had gotten frightened and hostile. She’d stuck up for her and kept them from doing. She hadn’t seen a problem with stopping it.

Then Max had started having heats.

She could still remember one day she came home, the roof was _covered_ in cats all trying to get to Max through the window. David had been furious about it. Which only made her want to keep Max from getting spayed more. Her enthusiasm had died a bit when Max had basically taken to rubbing herself against Chloe 24/7 while she was in heat, but pissing off David was totally worth it.

Then Max had figured out how to change and she’d hoped they’d go away.

They didn’t, instead when Max hit heat, she basically locked herself into cat form until it ended and the cats would be swarming around. Their landlady hadn’t been terribly impressed when it had first happened, but she had no idea what was going on.

Chloe sighed, she was going to miss her girlfriend being in human form until it blew over, but she _was_ going to get the shit snuggled out of her. She’d have to talk to Max afterwards about what she wanted to do about it.

Her key went into the lock as she braced herself for the oncoming fuzzball and she opened the door. When she saw Max naked on the couch, hands going for broke between her legs she froze. Her face felt like it was on fire as her girlfriend’s half lidded, lust filled eyes locked onto her. “H-hey Max.”

She had the presence of mind to kick the door closed behind her as Max sat up from the couch, her voice thick and low with need as she breathed out “Chloe.”

She fought down a rising lump in her throat with a hard swallow, was it just her or was the room really hot? Her palms were all sweaty. Her eyes locked onto the open laptop and the pieces fell into place. She’d left her porn tabs open. _Oh god._

Max crossed the space between her and Chloe in a few strides and she immediately pressed herself up against the taller woman, hands tugging her head down into a kiss. Chloe wasn’t about to fight and she returned the passionate force. She wasn’t going to deny her feelings for her former cat turned girlfriend, she’d been silently hoping for this day ever since Max had started being more and more human. _God I hope this isn’t weird or she doesn’t like turn into a cat mid sex…_ She threw that mental image out the window as hard as she could as Max’s hands started roaming her body.

Max broke the kiss and pressed herself harder into Chloe, her chest rumbled with the throaty purr. “I want you.”

The lump in her throat came back as she tried to think of a response, it took a few moments, the way Max’s hands were playing with her ass was _really_ distracting. “C-can I get out of my work stuff first?”

Max blinked for a few moments before grinning wide. “Yeah.”

 _Oh god I just asked if I could get undressed. Fuck this is happening, holy shit._ She kicked off her shoes and the pair walked to the bedroom; Max’s hands didn’t stop touching her for a second. “I… guess you’re in heat then.”

Max paused for a second, a thoughtful look on her face before nodding. “Yeah.”

Questions of consent and morality started rebounding around inside Chloe’s head as they crossed the threshold into the bedroom. “Ummmm, did you want this… before your heat started?”

Max’s face flushed a bit but she nodded. “I mean… we’re girlfriends, right? This is what I remember Rachel doing for you…”

Chloe shrugged off her work shirt, thankfully she had a tank top undershirt. “You don’t have to do stuff because Rachel did it you know.”

Max shrugged as she closed the distance with Chloe, peppering her neck with kisses and little love bites that made her hair stand on end and her entire body tingle. “… I know, I just… I want to do it. With you. Only with you.”

 _Shit, talk about not giving a girl a fucking break._ Her rational, feminist brain warred with her horny lesbian brain about the rights and wrongs of the situation. Feminist brain wanted to wait until _after_ Max’s heat so there wasn’t a hormone cocktail colouring her thoughts. Horny lesbian brain argued that Max had been thinking about this _before_ her heat and probably would be doing it without it, plus Max had been becoming a lot more human of late.

Horny lesbian brain won.

“S-shit… I want to do it with you too.”

Max practically launched herself bodily into Chloe, her hands tugging at the hem of her tank top as the pair locked lips. The pair stumbled backwards, Chloe hurriedly stripping off her work pants and kicking the free as her legs hit the bed and they both toppled onto it. Max had her shirt mostly off by this point and her hands were making themselves acquainted with her tits. Not that Chloe minded, they’d always been pretty sensitive. It was when Max’s tongue pushed itself into her mouth that she remembered one very important detail.

Max’s tongue was still as rough as a cat’s.

Her blood rushed at the possibilities as their tongues mingled. She’d always had a thing for a little bit of over stim. But Rachel with a few eggs had nothing on this. Max probably noticed her excitement before she pulled back from the kiss, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

That pesky lump in her throat returned as Max left a trail of love bites down her neck and chest that made her shiver and squirm.

The bites went lower and lower until Max was tugging down Chloe’s boxers.

Her breath hitched in her throat when the bites moved to her inner thighs.

Then came the tongue.

Chloe had never felt so much sensation in her life, she gasped and clutched at the sheets from the word go, her vision quickly filling with spots as Max aptly demonstrated just how cunning a linguist she was.

It was all too much, and yet she couldn’t get enough. She begged for more when she found her voice between gasps and hot, breathy moans.

Max obliged her when that sandpaper tongue met clit and she exploded for real.

Her thighs clamped around Max’s head like a vice, keeping her in place as her climax came at her like a runaway train.

She probably screamed at some point, but she really didn’t care.

Her world devolved into pleasure.

Her vision faded as her body rocked and quaked into Max’s face until she was spent and laying on the bed, panting. Her extremities all pins and needles.

At some point she could see again, and saw Max straddling her, a needy look on her face.

She tugged her girlfriend down into a long, luxurious kiss as she waited for her legs to remember how to work. Max gave her a throaty purr that made her lips vibrate as their tongues intermingled once again.

It took a few minutes for her body to remember what motor skills were, but when it did, it was payback time.. She gripped Max’s hips and rolled.

Max let out a surprised gasp but grinned when she realized what was about to happen. Chloe’s breath caught in her throat as she gazed down at Max. _God damn, she’s so fucking beautiful…_

She watched her girlfriend lick her lips and felt her hips wiggle beneath her. _Damn, she’s needy too._ “Someone wants something?”

Max grinned and wiggled her hips some more. “You know what I want.”

“Someone’s been watching too much porn.”

Max licked her lips. “Can’t help it, I just want you so bad.”

Chloe snickered as she leaned in to deliver a long, lingering kiss. “Definitely too much porn.”

Max whined in the kiss, her hands quickly found a place in her girlfriend’s hair and tugged Chloe down deeper into it. _Guess I shouldn’t tease her tooooo bad. As fun as it is._ She shifted her weight back onto her knees. _I’d be lying if I said this doesn’t feel a little weird, but… fuck it, Max is_ **_hot_ ** _._ She shifted a hand down, delighting in the sensation of her girlfriend’s soft breasts. The simple touch earned her a shiver and she grinned in the kiss. _Ohhhh, someone’s sensitive._ She took things slowly, turning from simple rubbing to playing with her nipples, absolutely delighting in every shiver and groan into the kiss.

After a few minutes of teasing she pulled back from the kiss and grinned down at Max, enjoying how absolutely flushed her face was. “Want more?”

Max nodded frantically. “Yes! I **_need_ ** more!”

Chloe snickered as she ran her fingers down Max’s body, every twitch and shudder as her fingers made their way over her oversensitive, freckled body was exhilarating. Then her hand slipped down between Max’s legs, and Max gasped out, her eyes wide. _Oh no mercy for you today._

She leaned in and pressed another kiss into Max’s lips, which was eagerly returned as she started to rub at Max’s clit. She couldn’t help but grin even wider as she felt Max’s hips pressing into the attention, which only made her go harder and faster.

Max broke the kiss, her head flopping back as her hands clawed at the bed before moving to dig into Chloe’s back. _Damn, she’s really not going to last long, guess I’ll just have to make the most of it._

She slips two fingers into Max and starts going to town, pumping hard and fast as Max devolved into a moaning mess. Chloe grinned as she leaned it to try an experimental bite on Max’s shoulder. The result was a resounding success as Max let out a sound halfway between a porno moan and a yowl and started shuddering under Chloe. She winced as she felt Max’s fingernails get sharper and rake over her back, but she didn’t stop and kept on going until she felt Max’s spasming stop.

The two stayed there panting for a few moments until Max tugged her into a hungry, passionate kiss and Chloe got the message: Max needs more. _Just gotta keep those hands under control._

It took a few hours, but Max was eventually sated and the pair lazed in bed together, Max gingerly prodding at Chloe’s freshly disinfected back scratches.

Chloe chuckled. “Guilty, are we? Don’t worry, it’s pretty fuckin’ hot.”

Max nodded and nuzzled up into the back of her neck. “Mmmmmmm.”

Chloe leaned back and shared a quick kiss so much. “You were awesome, babe. Totally worth the wait.”

Max’s face flushed slightly but she nodded. “So were you. We’ll see how bad my heat is tomorrow.”

Chloe snickered as she fell back into the bed, with Max rolling atop her. _Wait, shit, how am I going to explain this to Joyce?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this little smutty interlude. It was a lot of fun working with and flustering the hell out of Blu and I hope we can collab on more stuff in the future.
> 
> Let us know what you think in the comments!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max smells a weird, familiar scent.

**Chloe** **2:00 pm**

yo cat max

need coke for rum and coke asap

we r out

**Chloe** **2:05 pm**

here kitty kitty

Maxie

**Max** **2:10 pm**

Sorry babe! I’ll get you some omw back I promise :)

**Chloe** **2:11 pm**

get dat ass in gear

ALSO NO EMOJI

this what i get for getting u a phone

**Max** **2:11 pm**

>:p

Max giggled, holding her brand new phone as she shuffled from one aisle to another in the local supermarket. All the different scents intermingled in the air before filling her lungs, there’s the deli, the citrus fruits, the smell of roses from a small corner where they sell flowers for cheap. _I wonder if Chloe would like roses?_ _She definitely doesn’t seem like the type of girl to swoon over flowers, but it’d be a romantic gesture, right?_

_ Guess you’ll just have to experiment, Max.  _ She told herself quietly as she picked up a bouquet from its bucket, she sneezed from the strong flower fragrance.

Max maneuvered her way smoothly past the shoppers from aisle to the other, picking up necessities and random items that just sparked her curiosity.  _ Why do they even have bunny-shaped chocolates? _ Oh no, that reminded her of Alice. The thought of consuming cocoa powdered perfection in the shape of Kate’s beloved, delicate little friend felt like utter betrayal. She left it on the shelf, despite her newfound love for sweets. She instead opted to grab the regular chocolate bar. Her conscience felt a lot better that way. The hunt for groceries continued, frozen waffles for her, coke for Chloe. Success!

She had thought she was done, but then something shiny caught her eyes and she was drawn to the jewelry section. She eyed all the pieces, pupils dilated, the way they reflected light in different colors, they were so distracting! She must’ve been staring for too long because the lady behind the counter asked, “Anything I can help you with ma’am?”

Max didn’t even look up, staring at the shiny little rings and necklaces on display. She only let out a dazed, “No.” And continued to stare. One particular silver ring, with a small sapphire blue stone that shone under the glare of the light caught her attention. She pointed through the glass and the woman took it out to hand it to her. She took it carefully between her index and thumb and eyed it. The lady blinked slowly at this weird brunette who sniffed the ring as if she’d be able to tell whether it’s real or not.

“Sooo…” The lady drummed her fingers against the glass counter. “You like this ring?” She asked awkwardly.

_ A ring huh? _ Chloe has some of these. Max’s extensive knowledge about rings that stemmed from watching so many rom coms told her that rings have more of a superficial purpose. To make one’s fingers look pretty or something. Lots of humans wear rings, they’re a very common accessory.  _ And the blue would match Chloe’s hair perfectly _ . Max thought with a smile. 

“Yeah! Looks very pretty!” She smiled, internally hoping she wasn’t coming as too weird. _ Rings are very cheap. _ Max thought to herself.  _ Why do they make such a big deal about 'em in the movies?  _

_ Oh Chloe’s going to love this. _ She’s seen her with many rings before but none had a beautiful blue gemstone. Everything was going super smooth at Walmart, she could totally get used to being human all on her own.

She even managed to nail the transaction! She counted the change, smiled and thanked the cashier without freaking out. She didn’t even go crazy about the laser scanner! Chloe would be so proud.

“Ah! I see you bought a flower bouquet, and a promise ring too! For your boyfriend?” The cashier, an elderly man, smiled down at Max who seemed taken back by his comment. She smiled shyly.

“Girlfriend.” She corrected him.

“Oh, shoot, my bad little lady! Darn it, Kevin, you’ve gone and embarrassed yourself-“ he mumbled the last part too quickly for Max to understand, but what did spark her curiosity was the name he called the ring by. “A promise ring?” She asked.

“You haven’t heard of it before?” He chuckled.

“Uh, um…” Max blinked. Locked in an awkward gaze with the elderly man, “Im… er, Irish.” She nodded. As if that’d explain why she had no fucking clue what a promise ring was. 

There was a weird and heavy silence that hung in the air before the man exploded in laughter, “Well!” He cleared his throat, still smiling as he pointed at the little box. “The reasons for giving a promise ring vary, but it could be as simple as just... making a promise. As the name implies, young lady.” He said sweetly.

_ Oh. Simple enough! A promise ring is for making promises _ , Max thought.  _ That was straightforward _ .  _ See, Chloe? Human concepts are a piece of cake!  _ And Max knew exactly what promise she’s going to make for Chloe. There’s nothing Max would rather do than be by Chloe’s side. She knew that how bad the world had shaken Chloe, with the people she loved so much leaving her. But no. This time is different. This time, Max will stay. Chloe is home.

_ I promise, Chloe. _

Throughout the check out, the old man was very apologetic, although Max did not quite understand why, she kept reassuring him that she wasn’t at all offended and thanked him for telling her about this special little ring.

As she exited the supermarket, a bouquet of flowers in one hand and two bags of groceries in the other, she picked up a weird smell. No, that wasn’t coming from the people around her, or the supermarket itself. It came from someone, something oddly familiar. The scent tugged at her memories but nothing dropped free. She stopped dead in her tracks at the sliding doors, earning some irritated grunts from the people who pushed past her and into the exit.  _ Where’s that smell coming from?  _ She sniffed the air gently, her cerulean blue eyes darting from one person to another.

No, that lady smells like baby diapers. Nope, not that kid over there.  _ Eugh _ , he needs a shower. That guy smells like weed; she should know. Maybe that big burly man with a beard, behind the candy aisle carelessly browsing while also glancing at her. The moment his gaze met hers he nervously looked down and walked away.

_ Weird _ .

That scent definitely belonged to him. She was certain of that.

_ Well, whatever. I gotta head back to Chloe or she’ll get grumpy without her coke.  _ Max turned on her heel and left the store. Walking in more of a hurry than she thought, wanting to get away from the scent as fast as she could because something in her was itching to investigate the smell. To follow a stranger. Which was the first strict rule of going outside without Chloe: do NOT follow strangers with weird smells. Never a good idea _. “Not even strangers with good smells, not even any stranger at all! That, Maxie Cat, is how you get hurt.” _ Chloe’s voice echoed in her mind. Max’s mind, in an effort to forget about the scent all together, conjured up several scenarios each predicting Chloe’s reaction to flowers in a different way.

She might be a tad allergic, oh no. Maybe  _ really _ allergic. She’d sneeze like crazy and her face might get all swollen- or…

She might dislike them. She’s a punk after all, do punks appreciate flowers? Max’s gaze transfixed on her sneakers, paying no attention to where she’s going at all as she started biting her bottom lip with worry.

Or she might love them! She might even love the promise ring even more.

Despite Max being a good distance away from the supermarket, the scent doesn’t fade. She can’t shake the weird feeling of being watched and followed. Her sensitive ears picked up the sounds of shuffling coming right behind her, accompanied with quick shallow breaths. Whoever was tailing her was scared and he was right to be. If it got down to it, Max can defend herself… She hoped.

_ Okay, Max. You’re clearly being followed _ . The reasonable voice in her head told her as she swallowed hard, glaring into the distance and trying to act completely normal as she kept walking with confident steps.

_ Need an exit, a getaway. Maybe I can outrun him in cat form?  _ That was a good plan. She scanned her surroundings and decided to take a sudden turn into a narrow, empty alley between two old buildings. This way no one would see her, well, except for her pursuer who slipped into the alley shortly after her. She stopped in her tracks, her back to him. She could almost feel his nervousness and the tension that hung in the air. Her heart drummed wildly in her chest, she could get hurt, she knows that’s a possibility. Some humans can be malicious.

Despite the trembling in her hands, Max calmly took out the Promise ring box and shoved it into the flower bouquet, it sat securely in the wrapping. She turned on her heels to get a good look at the man. He looked middle aged, bearded and had a weary, apprehensive expression painted on his face. He cautiously extended an arm, “I-I…” He managed, before Max shoved the bouquet into her mouth and sank her fangs firmly into it, dropped the rest of the grocery bags, slipped into her cat form and bolted on all fours.

“WAIT!” his voice called behind her. Max sprinted as fast as she could, jumping over trash cans and crates to leap over a fence gate that blocked her way. She landed on her paws with ease and looked behind her, panting. This should do it right? The gate should be locked. Instead, she saw a large male cat jump over too and that was her cue to  _ run _ . To run and never look back. So that’s why he smelled funny. That’s why his scent was odd and familiar! He’s like her! But that doesn’t mean she can trust him, he still pursued her, and she didn’t want to know what he wanted from her.

The wild chase of two large felines startled the pedestrians. Especially the sight of one of them holding a flower bouquet, slipping between people’s feet sending them shrieking and stumbling to the side. Some teenagers recorded the whole thing while cackling, they probably thought it was weird as hell. But this was real, whatever this man wanted, he clearly wasn’t interested in a ‘no’ and that made her skin crawl. The one thing that kept her muscles from giving in to the sore, burning feeling in her paws was the adrenaline surging through her blood, and Chloe.

Chloe, Chloe,  _ Chloe! _

_ Gotta make it back to her. Gotta give her the ring. I promised I wouldn’t leave her, I promised. _

But the tom was hot on her heels. Max had made an impulse decision to turn and dash across the street. Hoping that he wouldn’t follow her reckless maneuver. She didn’t have time to look back to check because she was too busy dodging traffic. Halfway through she skidded to a stop when a truck nearly hit her as it blared its horn at the cat. However, in doing so, the ring box slipped out of the bouquet and slid right in front of the truck’s gigantic wheels. Max widened her eyes and flinched when she saw the box get literally flattened to the ground by this beast of a vehicle. Once it passed however, Max picked it up and kept running. She couldn’t leave it behind.

* * *

“Come on, Max, pick up…” Chloe bit her nail nervously. She had just called Max for the 20 th fucking time and  _ still  _ no answer.  _ She’s way too late, she’s not picking up her phone… _ Chloe dreaded the thought of something happening to her t.  _ Fuck, I knew sending her alone was a bad idea.  _ Chloe exhaled shakily as she grabbed her keys and sprawled jacket from the floor, she was going to look for Max at the store. She jolted a little when she heard loud scratches on the door. Her heart plummeted to her feet when she heard loud mewling. “Max?!” She hurried to the door and threw it open. She barely even got a good look at the big brown tabby because she bolted into the apartment holding  _ something _ . Chloe slammed the door shut and grabbed a blanket to wrap around Max as the shorter girl started shifting back. She was too busy trying to push down the feelings of horror to notice what was in Max’s hands. Whatever had happened, it had been bad enough to force Max to turn cat out in public.

“Max,” She started as she wrapped the blanket around her girlfriend, her voice trembling despite trying to hold herself together. “Where the  _ fuck _ have you-“

A blur of green, red and blue got shoved into her face with a rustle, it tickled her nose and had a strong aroma. She stumbled back shaking her head and blinked hard at the – rather messy – bouquet of flowers. It was disheveled, some flowers had their petals plucked, their leaves torn to pieces and it was clear some roses were missing. The wrapping paper was all crinkled and torn. She looked back at Max with confusion and a little bit of admiration in her eyes.  _ Okay what the fuck is all this, Max? _

Her girlfriend had a sheepish grin, Chloe had almost missed the twitch in her lips as if she struggled to hold the expression. She held the bouquet with a trembling hand. Etched with rugged small scratches. Chloe took the bouquet from her gingerly and brought her hand to Max’s, holding it closer to inspect the damage.

“Uh… Sorry for the messy bouquet. I’ve… It’s a long story but I-“

“Max, you’re freaking me the fuck out. Just, tell me what happened.” Chloe’s eyes fixated on hers. She still held the bouquet close, so she must’ve liked it which is good right?

Chloe guided Max to the couch and the two quickly assumed their favorite positions with the freckled girl sitting between Chloe’s knees, huddled in the blanket and nuzzling against her chest while Chloe rested her chin on Max’s shoulder. Max told her everything, from the time she received her texts 'til the stranger chasing after her. She knew Chloe would blow the fuck up if she knew, and she did. 

“Motherfucking bastard!! I swear if I ever see him I’ll fucking rip him a new asshole-“

“I’m sorry I must’ve left my phone out there too. We should go back and search for it.”

“You think I give a shit about a fucking  _ phone _ ?! Max, you got tailed by a motherfucking psycho, who knows what would’ve-“ Chloe cursed beneath her breath, her eyes almost bulging out of their sockets from sheer fury. Max knew it wasn’t a good time to be thinking this, but Chloe looked  _ so _ goddamn hot with her pissed off face as she knitted her eyebrows together trying to conjure the perfect torture method for whoever that guy was.

“Next time I’ll go with you to the store. You just point at the fucker and I’ll kick his ass so hard he’ll be breathing through a fucking straw.”

Max stifled a little laugh, earning a grunt from her girlfriend. “What?”

“You’re so cute when you’re mad.” Max grinned, then fumbled with her fingers. “Um… Did you like the flowers or not? They’re kinda messed up but…” Max mumbled. 

Still trembling from the adrenaline, hands still bleeding a little from running and skidding over uneven, ragged ground. But here she was, tucked in Chloe’s arms acting as if that man was the least of her worries, and the flower bouquet was the greatest fucking deal of the century. Chloe sighed, rolling her eyes, a little smile spreading on her face. 

“You’re such a sap, Max. The flowers are cool, thanks...I…” There was a little pause. It looked like Chloe wanted to say something else but couldn’t get it out. Max can tell from the way her smug expression softened and receded into one which she only showed openly to Max. Vulnerability and uncertainty, like she was trying to figure out how to say something. But just knowing that she loved the flowers made Max let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding.

“Oh!” Max perked up and crawled off the couch. Chloe watched her with confusion as she picked the flower bouquet from the coffee table and sat back next to Chloe. She put her hand into the flower bouquet and produced a crushed little box. “I also um… I got…” Max suddenly froze. She started to panic; her heart pounded against her ribs because she totally forgot how the box got totaled beneath a big ass truck. She  _ might _ have intentionally left out that life-threatening detail.

“What’s that?” Chloe asked, taking it into her hands. Max quickly tried to snatch it back but couldn’t.  _ Curse you short arms!!! _

“I-I change my mind, bring it back!!!” She stretched herself trying to reach out for the box. 

But Chloe held it back with her lanky arm, a twisted smirk plastered on her face. “Nuh-uh, not happening, kitty. It’s mine now!”

“Chloe!” Max huffed as she climbed onto Chloe’s lap, absentmindedly kneeing Chloe in the groin, feeling her stiffen up. 

“Hooooly, shit Max! Can we at least get dinner first?” She croaked, Max didn’t know whether that was from arousal or pain, but she didn’t have time for this! She can’t let Chloe see what’s in there, there’s no way the ring survived under the crushing weight of the truck!

Leaning further into Chloe, Max caused the two of them to topple back onto the couch. With her straddling Chloe’s hips. Chloe’s hands opened the box quickly in one swift motion and she froze, staring with wide eyes at its contents. Max’s shoulders sagged, she could clearly see the promise ring, snapped into two with jagged edges. The  _ one _ time she had the chance to one-up Chloe, to give her a pleasant surprise was ruined all thanks to her carelessness.

“Oh, Chloe…” Her voice went brittle, afraid what Chloe might say next. “I-I wasn’t careful enough… It slipped from me and it like… It got crushed under the-“ Chloe didn’t even give Max a chance to finish as she sealed her lips against the brunette’s giving her a gentle, chaste kiss.

“I, uh, guess you liked it?” Max beamed,

Chloe just stared at her with a lopsided grin, she may have not said anything yet, but Max could see it there in her eyes. All the thoughts that Chloe wouldn’t vocalize because she’d never been good with feelings or as she called it ‘ _ goopiness’ _ . From  _ ‘Holy shit, you just did all of this for me?’ _ to  _ ‘I fucking love this so much’.  _ But it’s all clear in the way she eyed Max like she was her greatest victory, her most treasured achievement.

Finally, Chloe speaks up, “Uh, doy?? Couple months of dating and you’re already thinkin’ bout rings, you’re hella smitten, kitten.” She winked.

Max blew raspberries as she rolled her eyes, “I’m pretty sure you are too.”

“Nah, it’d ruin my cool punk exterior. Got a reputation to keep in the Bay, Maximax.” The girls chuckled against each other’s lips. 

Once the chuckling died down, Max started again, “I’m… still sorry about the broken ring.” She said.

Chloe ran her fingers through Max’s hair and brought her head closer for an eskimo kiss, “Don’t worry. I can probs fix it at the garage.”

And Max thought that was that. A weird encounter with a man of her kind, that might not really happen again anytime soon. But for the life of her she can’t stop thinking about it, someone out there is just like her. And he knows how it’s like, the way he shifted it’s like he’s been doing this for years. She could still practically smell fear coming off of him when he faced her. But with a cat his size, what was he so afraid of?

Chloe didn’t make it easy either. She became so paranoid that she never let Max go grocery shopping without her, Max insisted the danger’s gone. That she hadn’t picked up his scent for days but Chloe didn’t budge. 

The phone was forgotten, as much as it pained Chloe to lose it after working her ass off to buy it, she understood that Max didn’t really have a choice in the matter. “Well, you  _ could’ve _ just picked the phone with your mouth and ran but you chose to be a sap and carried the flowers instead.” She’d tease, but Max knew she was still thankful.

Not that Max didn’t enjoy shopping with Chloe. Time with her girlfriend was time well spent. Chloe even competed over who can make the most puns out of the items available in the store. She had her specially when she took a chocolate bar and said, “Hey Max, someone once told me a joke about chocolate, but I just Snickered.”

Max had truthfully forgotten about the incident, she thought she’d never see that stranger again.  _ Why can’t you forget about that already, Max? You’re here with Chloe now, just focus on taking the shot.  _ She inhaled shakily and pressed the viewfinder to her eye, capturing Chloe mid air doing a kickflip, her hair a blur of blue, the amber orange light from the setting sun behind her peeking between her boots and the skateboard. Another keeper, Max smiled to herself. She was too busy tweaking with the camera’s settings and trying different angles that she didn’t take note how Chloe was stomping her way with infuriating rage yelling something she heard but didn’t really pay it any mind. Before she knew it, Chloe was by her side down wind and a loud painful yelp caught her off guard. She whipped back and stared at Chloe who was by now yanking at the man’s collar with him begging her to stop.

“Chloe!” Max shot to her feet,

“The hell were you doing you sick fuck?! Don’t think I didn’t fucking see you-“ Chloe growled behind her clenched teeth, her face almost red with anger.

“Christ, please! There’s no need for this, I just wanted-“

“What the fuck kind of sick ass stunt were you trying to pull there, huh?!!” She violently shoved him backwards. A man his size didn’t have trouble regaining balance quickly, but he still looked terrified. “P-Please, kid, just… Hear me out,” He glanced nervously around him. “You’re making a scene-“

He was right, she was practically screaming at him in the middle of a skate park. A few people stood and stared which made Max’s anxiety spike. She pawed at Chloe weakly, though to no avail as Chloe was deafened by the sound of her own blood boiling in her ears.

“I don’t fucking care! Stay away from my girlfriend or I’ll fucking haul your ass to the cops my fucking self!” She jabbed two fingers into his chest.

“No, please there’s no need for that I-“

Chloe kept going. Throwing threats and insults, coupled with a shove trying to get him as far away from Max as possible. So many eyes were watching, some people were even recording. Max felt a knot of fear coil in her stomach, the nausea kicked in and her hands started trembling. Her immediate reaction was to slip into cat form and run, but with so many people and cameras that was impossible.

“Chloe, can we just go?” She asked weakly. Though it seemed only the stranger man heard her.

“Look, we need to get her out of here right now please-“ He gestured at Max. Chloe shot him a scowl before turning her head to Max, her intimidating expression immediately dropped and she rushed to hold her and started to walk towards their truck in a hurry. Not before she turned and gave a quick one finger salute to Max’s stalker.

“Feel any better?” Chloe handed her water, the old rust bucket wheezed and the dashboard started vibrating as the AC was cranked up all the way to the max. Max sat hugging her knees on the passenger seat, after a refreshing chug of water and with the cool calm breeze blowing from the ac.

Max nodded. “I didn’t see him or smell him… He must’ve masked his scent-“

“Fuck that asshole. He’s history, I wiped the fucking floor with him.” Chloe put a leg on the dashboard, staring angrily at the trees ahead. “I’d like to see him try-“ 

She stopped when a hand holding a phone appeared in the rearview mirror. Chloe’s expression dropped before she pulled the fiercest expression on her face. She kicked the door open and marched towards him ready to punch his nose in again, but he waved the phone at her with a submissive expression. A bruise was already forming from her previous assault.

She snatched the phone from him and was cut off by a quick, “I just want to talk. Please-“

“Yeah by chasing after my girlfriend like a fucking psycho. And you better not tell anyone about what you saw or I swear I’ll fucking-“

“I won’t. We’re… the same. I just want to see her, please…” He begged, hands in the air as if Chloe was holding a gun at him. She would if she hadn’t left it in her truck. 

Chloe sneered, about to beat the shit out of him when Max’s soft voice interjected, “Chloe, let him go.”

“What the fuck-“

“He’s my dad.” Max swallowed hard; the bearded man let his arms fall to his side. A big sad smile stretched across his face accompanied by teary eyes.

* * *

“I uh… sorry I punched the fuck outta your eyeball.” Chloe stood back awkwardly as the man, Max’s father sat on the truck of her bed, pressing a wet cloth against his black eye. 

He chuckled, “You punch just as hard as you yell! I almost feared for my life.”

The girls laughed dryly.. Max hid behind Chloe awkwardly, avoiding eye contact with him at all times. Chloe found it so fucking suspicious, a man comes outta nowhere and he’s suddenly Max’s dad. But Max had sworn it, she said she’d been 100% sure. That’s why the smell was so familiar. Chloe trusted Max, but she doesn’t trust him. She folded her arms over her chest, “So the whole chasing thing?“

“It was a mistake. I just trying to reach out to her.” He croaked and coughed. 

He cleared his throat and spoke with a gruff voice, “I didn’t mean to scare her.” He looked at Max with soft eyes, it took Max back a little and she shyly just stared at her feet. 

She mumbled an apology, and Chloe just fucking hated how soft his expression turned to hear her voice.

“You’ve got nothing to apologize for kiddo. This is the first time you’ve see me since…” He paused and sighed, “Since we lost you.”

“Lost? The fuck kind of shitty parent loses their kid?” Chloe scowled.

“The kind who has a side to hide from people. Vanessa and I- your mother and I we… We were so devastated when you ran away.” His eyebrows knit and he was dominated by profound sadness. 

Fatigue and pain engraved on his worn face. “You turned too early. We tried to raise you as human but… You were always a fast learner. My clever girl.” He smiled sadly. 

Chloe’s heart twisted with hatred at the last sentence. Even if by whatever miracle Max was truly his daughter, she doesn’t belong to a fucking pathetic excuse of an old man who had fucking  _ lost _ his young daughter.

“One unlocked door was all it took. I tracked your scent for days but every lead was a dead end. And once I found you, you were already taken in, I couldn’t just…” He shook his head. He sighed, rubbing his temples.

“Devastated my ass! Quit playing the fucking victim here. You could’ve looked for her, Arcadia Bay’s a small hicktown and there’s no fucking excuse for you leaving her for 8 fucking years!!” Chloe snapped. 

“You don’t even know half of what she’s been through. She was almost fucking dead when I found her!” She said bitterly. 

The middle aged man turned to Max with a worn out expression, “I’m not... expecting you to forgive us. I just finally had the opportunity to talk to my daughter. That’s all I want.”

Max braved another look at him, when he caught her eyes he smiled gently. He looked funny with his bruised cheekbone and silly beard. Somehow his face was a distant memory locked up somewhere in Max’s mind. And even despite Max’s rather hazy memories regarding this man, her nose never lies. The scent was so familiar and welcoming. Besides, Max had always wondered if she had parents like Chloe, or Kate… Or Stephanie or Warren or any other human. And now she finally has the chance to know. Who she is, where she came from. Her home far away from home. It’s like discovering an old toy long forgotten after years of abandonment.  _ Is this what humans call nostalgia? _

“It’s okay Chloe,” Max mumbled, low but audible enough only for Chloe to hear. “I… I have some questions. I want to talk.” She said quietly, nervously wringing her hands. 

Chloe opened and closed her mouth numerous times trying to reason with her. But when Max gave her this nervous, unsure look all her walls came crashing down and she had no choice but to let her do her thing. She sighed and threw a scalding sneer at the old man, “One wrong move and I-” 

Chloe froze when she remembered that if his claim was correct, then she was cussing out her girlfriend’s father which was not the impression she was hoping to leave.

The man seemed to get it though, he laughed and raised his hands, “Harmless. Scout’s honor, kid! Geez, your friend here’s creeping your old man out.” He chuckled as Max sat nervously on the truck bed next to him but with some space between them.

“Girlfriend.” Max corrected, this time she held his gaze firmly. Her father looked flabbergasted but he recovered quickly after seeing Chloe’s victorious smirk plastered on her face.

Chloe didn’t let the two out of her sight but she did give them privacy. Puffing out smoke in long, frustrated sighs before she crushed the finished roach beneath the heel of her boot. 

_ This whole bullshit is taking too long. It’s already been half an hour or so, whatever the fuck could they be talking about? How horrible a dad he was? How the fuck do you loose your child for 8 fucking years? Maybe that’s what he’s trying to explain _ .  _ Max better give him the cold shoulder, after all, no one is good enough for her but me _ . Chloe thought.

But judging from Max’s poor attempt at hiding her excited smile and the happy skip in her step she hadn’t told him to fuck off. It looked like they had made up. Chloe groaned, “So? What now? What other fucking lie did he tell you?”

“Chloe, he’s my dad. He wasn’t lying to me. He was just answering my questions.” Max furrowed her eyebrows.

“And?” Chloe folded her arms, throwing a glance at him.

“He said he can explain everything to me if I uh... “

“If you?”

“Go to my old house.” 

“Like fuck you are! What the  _ fuck _ ?”

“He promised me that everything will be explained there. I want to know Chloe.” Max paused, “I can see my mom too, so…” She nodded. 

Chloe froze. A bitter realization dawning upon her. Max has a family other than her. A past she has no clue about and a side to her that she had never known. And what if Max wanted to live with her birth family when they reunited? What if she fucking leaves like everybody else she’s ever fucking loved? That dreadful hole in her heart reappeared, bigger than ever. And the weight of the thought crushed her soul. But Chloe was good at hiding how she felt. It wasn’t like she was the best at expressing her feelings anyway. 

“Just a visit right?” She asked.

Max’s face beamed, Chloe can’t tell whether she liked that or not. “Yes! Um… There’s a word for it. It almost sounds French-” while Max rambled on about how the word started with an ‘R’, Chloe studied her girlfriend’s face. Colorful and alive, brimming with happiness. 

While Chloe knew the word Max was looking for was ‘rendezvous’ she just let her continue her mumbling. Why’s she acting like she’s already lost Max? She’s still here.  _ That promise ring had to mean something right?  _

“... Right Chloe?”

“Yeah it’s rendezvous.” Chloe said dryly. Max didn’t catch the change in her tone and nodded excitedly. 

And it even got worse from there. Ryan, Max’s father, gave her his number and told her to talk to him anytime she wanted. The date and time of the visit was entirely up to the pair, as he allegedly didn’t want to pressure Max at all. While it seemed considerate on the surface, Chloe knew he was just playing the ‘kind and thoughtful dad’ card.  _ Who the fuck leaves their kid for 8 years then comes back, chases her  _ **_into fucking traffic_ ** _ and acts like it was all water under the bridge? _

Well, at least she can try to forget.  _ Max’s here right now and that’s what matters right? _ She wondered as she unlocked the door to their apartment and let Max through before walking in and closing the door behind them. Max said something about movie night and popcorn, Chloe didn’t register it entirely but she nodded. 

The lack of enthusiasm did not go unnoticed by Max as she stopped her happy skipping and looked at Chloe with worry. “Is something wrong?” 

You  _ know  _ what’s wrong. Chloe bitterly replied in her head. But she can’t steal Max’s happiness from her. Not when she was so jubilant the entire trip home. “No, just tired.” As hard as Chloe tried to add a little flavor to her tone, but just sounded completely fake and robotic.

“It’s my dad, isn’t it?” Max asked. Chloe didn’t reply, just dumbly shook her head. Max sighed and took her hand gently, she led her to the couch where they both sat and cuddled in silence. “I know what you’re thinking Chloe, and it’s not true.” She mumbled against her chest as Chloe stroked her hair gently. Letting her words sink in. 

“Promise me, Max.” Chloe said in a more demanding tone than she intended for.

Max pulled away and looked her right in the eye, the gentle smile and the soft chuckle sent a comforting warmth into Chloe’s chest. 

“That’s what the promise ring’s for Chloe. I promise you. You will never be alone.” She ended with a quick kiss on the nose. Chloe’s worries melted away and she found herself grinning like a fucking idiot. 

“Right, speaking of.” She shoved her hand into her pocket, fiddling about while Max watched curiously. “I did want to fix the damage but I thought this is a good opportunity to turn it into something better.” She said, pulling out tangled necklaces in the palm of her hand. 

What used to be a promise ring was now a necklace of both halves. Only now the edges were smoothed and the metal was polished. She had welded tiny rings onto each side the halves, which hooked into the chain. Max laughed in disbelief, eagerly waiting for Chloe to put the necklace around her slender neck.

“And I’m the sap here?” She exclaimed.

“No that wasn’t sappy, don’t change the subject.” Chloe blew a raspberry, as she locked her own necklace around her neck. 

Max pulled her in for a quick kiss, resting her arms on Chloe’s shoulders. “I think I like it a lot better this way. Thanks.” She grinned. Chloe just stared at her, admiring her handiwork.  _ Damn that looks great on Max _ . With the half ring resting against her freckled sternum, she wanted to kiss her there. Thus, she added the task to tonight’s to do list amongst other things.

That’s when a thought had occurred to Chloe.

“So, out with it, is your real name not Max? Cause if so that’d be fuckin’ lame.” She smirked.

“It’s actually Maxine.”

“You’re shitting me.”

“Scout’s honor.” Max laughed, “But I hate it. It’s so… snobby. I prefer Max.”

“Max…?”

A smile tugged at her girlfriend’s lips, “Max Caulfield.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUGE thank you to Rainboq for betaing and helping with a lot of ideas! She's the best! Please check out the work that inspired this story [**Chloe and the Beast**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24222208) (46099 words) by [**Rainboq**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainboq)  
>  And another HUGE thank you to everyone who stuck with this dorky story so far. We're getting close to the end here! Love y'all< 3  
> \- Blu


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Max's past unfurls, Chloe finds it very hard to cope with just how different everything's becoming. And the dreaded possibility of Max leaving to learn more about herself hangs on a thread above the two girls. Until the thread snaps.

Chloe’s fingers drummed against the steering wheel impatiently as they waited at a red light. She shifted her weight and sighed as she put her elbow against the window . She rested her cheek against her palm as her foot tapped restlessly against the clutch. She stole glances at Max, who was on cloud nine, giddy with excitement and face covered in a doofy grin e. All to see her birth family and the old home. She was humming a happy tune while looking outside, swaying gently with the rhythm. 

Had this been a different scenario, Chloe would’ve marveled at how fucking adorable Max looked. But right now the jubilant aura of her girlfriend only added to the uneasy weight in Chloe’s chest.

She reached out for the promise ring necklace unconsciously, twirling it between her fingers, needing some kind of comfort. Her proof that Max would never leave.

She had promised, right?

The traffic light flicked to green and Chloe pressed on the gas pedal, the truck jerked forward before smoothly making its way back to Arcadia Bay. This, according to Ryan, was where Max had grown up. Where her birth family still lived. She gulped, her fingers twitched for a smoke, but she cursed under her breath when she remembered she was out. She’d been smoking so much just from the stress of it all, her nerves as raw as when David’s stupid mustache had first shown up. But she’d never admit her worries to Max, she’s happy, who the fuck was Chloe to ruin that?.

“This be it.” Max pressed her index to the stained window of Choe’s truck, pointing at a plain white house with some forgotten, weather beaten, Halloween decorations. 

“Should I call Ryan?” Chloe asked, in more of an annoyed tone than she intended for.

“I’ll do it.” Max insisted.

“Be my guest.” Chloe said with a shrug, she didn’t have the energy nor the patience to deal with anyone right about now. She just wanted Max in her arms, nothing else mattered, no one else mattered. 

“Okay, we’ll be right in pops.”

Chloe let out a deep sigh as Max hung up, crossing her arms as she tried to fight the feeling of isolation.Out of the corner of her eye she saw a concerned look on Max’s face..

_ Fucking cat senses. So not fair, not that I’m subtle. _

“Chloe,” Max called out, so soft and vulnerable that it almost made her tear up. She felt Max’s warm hands on her arms, gently tugging them from her chest and holding them tightly. Chloe turned to Max and pulled her into a silent embrace. One hand soothing her girlfriend’s rich brown locks, the other wrapped securely around her waist. Max held her just as close, pressing into Chloe’s with her whole body. Chloe relaxed into the touch.

“I’m here, Chloe. I’m here and it’s okay.” She mumbled.

They shared a quick kiss before leaving the truck. Chloe stuffed her beanie on and shuffled behind Max, making their way to the front door. Before Max could even knock, the door was swung open, and Max yelped as arms swept her up into a bone crushing hug. She heard muffled sobs coming from the woman, and despite Max not seeing who it was, the blur of dark brown hair, the voice that cried her name and the familiar scent she knew who held her.

She pulled back, and the sight of a middle aged woman greeted her, with freckles mirroring her own. She held Max’s face gently in her hands, smiling through streams of tears. Max inhaled shakingly, taking in the sight of her mother. After so many years, that smile of hers was just a vague memory yet it was enough to make her cry. She sniffed, and held her mother’s hand, grinning sheepishly, “Um… H-Hi…”

Her mom only laughed and hugged her again. Chloe stood idly by the entire time, unsure of what to do with herself as she watched the whole emotional family reunion display. She forced a smile for Max’s mom and tried not to look like her anxiety was eating her alive.

Walking into the house, Chloe saw several pictures hanging from the wooden walls. Of young Ryan and his pregnant wife, of little baby Max in her dad’s arms biting on his finger. She blinked, tracing the image of baby Max with her index,  _ well if anything this really seals the deal. _ She thought, her heart sunk a little. There’s this picture of the little brown tabby biting her dad’s nose,  _ feisty little thing _ . Another of her sleeping soundly in her room with torn toys lying about. 

Chloe wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel. Part of her was happy that Max had finally found answers, but deep inside a venomous voice whispered to Chloe that in the end, Max would just pack up and leave.

_ Haven’t you learned your lesson, Price? Everybody leaves eventually. _

Vanessa, Max’s mother, snapped Chloe from her daze as she spoke. “Why don’t you sit down with us for lunch?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Chloe mumbled. Everything was a blur of motion and muffled inaudible speech as Chloe sunk deeper and deeper into her insecurities. Despite her sitting right next to Max at the table, playing it cool and switching on that suave Price charm to win the heart of her girlfriend’s parents, Chloe’s worries bubbled beneath the surface, threatening to spill at any given minute. 

“So what do you do, Chloe? Ryan told me you and Max are inseparable.” 

Everyone’s attention turned to her. 

She gripped her fork tightly and forced a light smile, “I work at a friend’s garage, y’know, fixing up broken cars n’ stuff. It’s not all that much, really.”

“Chloe fixed our truck herself!” Max chimed in, resting a hand on Chloe’s shoulder. 

Ryan whistled, before giving a belly laugh. “Impressive! Guess now I know who to hit up when my ole rust bucket breaks down!” 

“I also happen to be something of a mechanic myself. Got a garage at the back, you can help yourself to anything you find in there, Chloe.” He added, Chloe smiled and did her best not to stare at the breadcrumbs in his beard.

Vanessa on the other hand gave a nervous laugh, “But well,” she started.

Chloe sucked in a deep breath,  _ oh shit, here comes. _

“I-I meant yknow, what about school?” 

“I’m… working on my GED. Once I get that out of the way…” Chloe trailed off.  _ I don’t know. I never…  _

She threw a nervous glance at Max.

Everything she ever did, the job, the apartment, her GED, was because she wanted to ditch David’s ass and well… Because she had someone to protect and care for. Someone who needed her, who encouraged and motivated her to get out of bed in the morning. 

What happens when that someone finds that they want something different? 

Her silence didn’t go unnoticed, Max furrowed her eyebrows at Chloe’s gaze momentarily before her wide grin returned to her face, “I-I’m getting into photography!” She boasted. “It’s nothing solid like school stuff but um… Kate told me about selling pictures online.”

“That’s…” Vanessa’s lips twitched a little before Ryan perked up, “Wonderful! You’ve got to show us your photos, Cindy Sherman!” Then threw his head back with a throaty laughter. 

  
  


_ Nice save, dad.  _ Max smiled. She turned to see Chloe idly poking at the rice with her spoon. She pressed her leg against Chloe’s beneath the table and rubbed back and forth a little. Chloe gave her a light smile and a wink in response. 

After lunch, Ryan had asked for Chloe’s help with his car. Max on the other hand wound up helping Vanessa in the kitchen. Mostly chatting about Arcadia Bay and the weather. How do you even catch up with your parents whom you haven’t seen for 8 years?

“So, what about Chloe’s parents? What can you tell me about them sweetie?” Vanessa said, loading a few dishes into the dishwasher while Max rinses the dirty ones. 

“Umm…”  _ Do I have to??  _ Max bit her tongue before she said that.

“J-Joyce, Chloe’s mom, is a waitress at The Two Whales diner and her… Her stepdad’s a military veteran.”

“Where’s her real dad?”

“Died in a car crash.” Max’s heart sunk, remembering Chloe’s grief, all the breakdowns and the nightmares. She was so glad Chloe was able to push through. 

“Oh dear,” Vanessa sighed. “Does she treat you well?”

Max froze, what kind of question is that? Why’s she getting upset at that seemingly harmless question?

Vanessa seemed to panic a little at her daughter’s silence, “I-I know… girls like her tend to have some… problems. Y’know, they can be…” She continues placing the dishes in the dishwasher, “They can be a bit unstable emotionally or-”

“Mom.” Max turned off the tap water and turned fully to face her mother. Now she gets why her mother’s acting all weird. “You have no idea what Chloe’s done for me. She saved me, made me into who I am today. Without Chloe I wouldn’t even be here.”

“I just wanted to make sure that you’re safe.”

_ You could’ve done that 8 years ago _ , a voice retorted. But she bit her tongue again.

“Chloe’s been through a lot, but she was always there for me when I needed her.”  _ How’s that for passive aggressive, mom?  _

“Without her I could’ve died in some alley from the cold.” She didn’t miss her mother’s face flinching for a second. That must be more than enough to keep her quiet, for now. The two return to their tasks in silence, unsure of how else to proceed. Part of Max felt guilty, but another revelled in pride for defending Chloe so fiercely. 

  
  


“Do ya know what a spark plug does?”

_ Well that brings back unpleasant memories. _ Chloe thought as she braced her weight on her hands, peaking into the hood of the car and looking at the car’s engine, nestling amongst a mess of wires and other devices she’d learned to work with. “You mean, other than breaking into cars? Yea.” She smirked, this sent Ryan laughing. This man knows a joke when he hears one, his wife is too…

_ Nope, Chloe. That’s your girlfriend’s mom. Keep your cool. _

“You need to change them, though.” Chloe said, “One of ‘em’s overheated, but most of them got worn out. I could hook you up with a good price too.” She said, shop gloves covered in oil. 

“You’d be doing me a huge favor, heh. These ol’ legs can’t be trusted to make lengthy trips to the store anymore!”

This care-free, laid back personality reminded her of her own dad and that old, familiar hole in her chest ached. 

“I feel you.” Chloe closed the hood of the car. She wiped her hand with a clean towel as she leaned against the car, watching Ryan put away the tools on their shelves. 

“Cool garage.” Chloe commented. 

“Thanks! It was my dad’s before he passed away. Grumpy old man used to kick my ass for stealing tools when I was your age.” He cackled, Chloe rolled her eyes.

“I uh…” He cleared his throat, “Max she… She told me about your dad... I’m sorry things panned out that way, kiddo.” He said, eyes nervously darting everywhere but on her. Damn, did he need to bring that up?

“Thanks, I guess.” Chloe shrugged. So now Max is telling him stuff too? Well, he  _ is  _ her dad. And the two seemed to be getting along.

“I know you think I’m a shitty excuse for a father but, if you need anything our door’s always open.” He said, turning to face her. Chloe nodded in appreciation, but she wasn’t about to trust him yet. She can’t help but blame him for everything. For Max having been alone in the cold. For her not knowing anything about herself.. For the possibility of Max leaving her after everything.

“Ryan! Where are you?” Vanessa called. 

Ryan headed to the door and porked his head out, “In the garage with Chloe!”

“I’m going to show Max her room!” He heard her call out. For whatever reason his face broke into a wide grin, “Oh!! We’ll be up in a minute!” He then turned to Chloe and ushered her out of the garage and towards the stairs in a hurry.

At first, Chloe didn’t understand the huge deal with Max’s room. But she got the picture when she gingerly approached the door frame behind Ryan and Vanessa and looked inside. Max stood at the center of the room in awe, as if travelling back in time once she found herself surrounded by the walls of her childhood room.

She watched her pirouette around, drinking in the sight of her old room. Everything was kept in place ever since she left, so she was told. 

“Go on, feel free to look.” Ryan gestured, the widest grin plastered on his face.

Max looked back, kind of unsure. Her eyes found Chloe’s, who just nodded. Max in turn shook her head as well, her movements at first were robotic, like she didn’t know what to do with herself in this room. She started by trailing her hand along the pink wallpaper covering the walls. Her fingers bumped into the picture frame of another family photo. She lifted her head up to look at it, that’s supposed to be her, bundled up in a pink blanket in her mother’s arms while her dad held the camera. Her mom looked young and tired, her hair was a mess and her body looked frail yet she had a tired smile stretched. 

Ryan commented on how this was taken right after she was born. No hospital, not even a midwife. That’s what made the photo so special. Max was special too.

Max turned back to the photo and stared at it some more before moving on. The scent, the pink walls, the old white closet, her small bed and torn pillows and toys. The little cat toys that hung over her head where she used to sleep and played a sleepy melody as it spun round and round. It’s all flooding back. 

_ “...And the little fawn and the blue butterfly stayed friends forever. The end.” Her dad closed the story book, setting it on the nightstand next to her bed. She remembered him yawning, his fangs poking as he did, “Ah! So, little tiger, whaddya say we head to sleep?” _

_ She didn’t feel sleepy though. She was too busy teething on the bed’s wood post, leaving many small indentations as she furiously chomped at her opponent.  _

_ “Hey, hey! Stop! You’ll get splinters all over your tongue, y-OUCH!” He winced as Max decided his fingers should suffer the same fate too. She remembered hearing his fruitful laugh as he picked her up and sat her on his lap and tickled her. She let out a half growl, half laugh as she wriggled and flailed her limbs.  _

_ “Don’t bite your dad you lil fuzzball.” He laughed, his tickle attack stopped and receded into him stroking her hair. She purred and yawned too, curling into his chest. “You’re so special Maxine,” he cooed, “You’re too special for this world. I want you to be prepared for it.” She couldn’t understand what he meant by that back then. She was too drowsy to care as she slipped into blissful sleep.  _

Max turned to her parents, eyes glossy and lips quivering. Ryan and Vanessa moved in to embrace her tightly. she looked so happy like that. Sandwiched between her parents, hearing her happy purrs accompanied by Ryan’s. They were mumbling something to her, and it must’ve been cheesy too because it only made Max cry harder. 

Chloe leaned against the doorframe watching the scene before her unfold. Her gaze dropped to the floor, her breath becoming rapid and her eyebrows knitted together as she drew a scowl and turned away. Storming down the stairs as she felt the well of emotions about to flood, and it wasn’t going to be pleasant either. Max must’ve heard her boots thumping against the stairs as she descended because she heard her call her name and rush after her. 

Chloe can’t handle staying an additional second in this house. Or near to Max’s parents. And she felt selfish and fucking greedy for feeling that way but  _ fuck  _ it. Why can’t she be greedy after years of being shown affection then dumped? Maybe she just wanted Max to leave her parents and follow her. Because she didn’t stop and marched out of the house. Once she arrived at the truck she kicked at the tire with frustration as she saw Max’s reflection off the window approach her. She sighed and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Chloe-”

“I’m fine, Max. I’m awesome.”

“No you’re not ‘fine’. You were stiff the whole time-”

“Oh great! So you did notice? Good thing you still remember I exist.”

“What? Of course I did, why would I not?”

_ For fuck sake Max, you take things literally.  _ She hissed, her mouth opened, threatening to spill another hurtful comment, but she stopped when she saw Max’s genuine sky blue eyes full with worry.

_ What’re you doing Chloe? This is Max you’re being a bitch to. This is the very person you don’t want to lose.  _

Chloe’s shoulders sagged, she pulled Max into a slow hug and squeezed her thin frame against herself. “I’m sorry, let’s just… Drop it.” She mumbled.

“You made me worry.” Max whispered into her chest, nuzzling her nose against her collarbone as her arms locked around Chloe’s shoulders.

“I’m sorry, I was a total bitch.” 

Max chuckled, “I wouldn’t blame you. Mom wasn’t so nice to you either.” She said. She pulled back, gazing longingly into Chloe’s deep blue eyes. She reached her hand to the half ring necklace, pulling it from under her shirt and offering it to Chloe, “I promise, Chloe. No matter who I meet or what I do, you’re always my home.”

The stinging behind Chloe’s eyes told her she’s crying, her chest quivered and her vision blurred as she wiped her eyes furiously with her wrists. Cursing with a breathless chuckle as she took out her own half of the promise ring, and connected it with Max’s. What more can she ask for? How many times does Max have to prove her loyalty to her until she finally fucking  _ gets  _ it? For some fucking reason, Max loves her. She  _ loves  _ her, and she wouldn’t give her up for anyone.

Max’s parents were decent enough to not pry too much and ask what went wrong, instead Ryan as usual buried all the tension with humor and bad jokes. The two girls excused themselves and Chloe felt all the tension drain from her limbs when she was driving them home.

Home.

Their home. 

  
  


After that, things had almost returned to normal. Max continued her photography and her tea dates with Kate. Chloe continued her boring GED assignments and working at the garage. Occasionally they’d hang out in the skate park with Trevor and Steph, Max was getting the hang of skating and can do a few tricks on her own. Yet she still preferred to hang back and photograph them as they shredded. 

But on certain nights when Chloe doesn’t want anyone else, she’d just cuddle with Max and watch bad movies while eating pizza. Then the bad movie would be long forgotten as the two shower each other with kisses and love bites and the familiarity of all of  _ this  _ eased Chloe’s mind. Waking up with Max in her arms, feeling the burning scratches sting on her back. This is how it’s supposed to be. The normality that Chloe yearned for so much.

The only thing that wasn’t so normal, was Max’s constant typing at her phone. The visits to Ryan and Vanessa every now and then. Her frequent calls to Ryan. And her constant mentioning of her parents. Chloe thought that was only normal, the girl’s making up for lost time. 8 years of being apart from your parents will do that to you. So she tried to swallow the barbs in her throat and welcome the idea of Ryan and Vanessa Caulfield becoming an integral part of her life.

Chloe never really considered herself the type to snoop. That’s usually Max because of her overwhelming curiosity and her sensitive nose. But Chloe was the type to let things slide, let these minor inconveniences pile up until she explodes and hurts someone. So when Max’s phone buzzed beneath the blanket on the couch right next to where Chloe was sitting, the bluenette fished it out calling, “Max! It’s your damn phone again!”

“Oh! That must be my dad!” Max called from the kitchenette. “If he sent a bad meme please ignore him.”

That little comment gave Chloe the impulse to look. The text bubble that greeted her was truly a bad joke. One that she wished she didn’t read.

**Pops 12:04 pm**

_ Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine. The job pays well and I have a few friends over in Seattle.  _

_ I’m mostly worried about you. _

**Pops 12:11 pm**

_ Have you told Chloe about this yet?  _

**Pops 12:13 pm**

_ You can still come with us, kiddo. I can show you around Seattle, it’s got really cool places for you to take new photos! _

A bad joke, how Ryan was planning on leaving and taking Max with him. A bad joke, how Max still hasn't mentioned a word to Chloe. A bad joke, how Chloe felt. She felt her hands tremble, her vision getting spotty as she read the text over and over again. 

“Soooo?” Max peaked her head from behind her shoulder. Her eyes barely landed on the screen before Chloe stood up in one swift motion.

Max’s sensitive ears could hear heart beats, getting faster, more frantic by the second. She watched Chloe’s face contort in a mixture of hurt and anger all together as the bluenette pointed to the screen, “It’s a bad joke alright. You know what else is a bad fucking joke?” She circled around the couch, never taking her eyes off Max’s as the shorter of the two froze in her place.

“The fact you didn’t tell me, the fact you looked me straight in the fucking eyes and  _ promised  _ me, Max!!” Her voice got louder by the second. As did her heartbeat, but hers wasn’t the only one that spiked. 

Max can feel her heart drum in her chest, her legs threatening to give away and her stomach flip upside down because the way Chloe looked at her with such anger and brittleness all the same tormented her. She took a step back and tried to utter a response but Chloe interjected.

“So what? huh? Got nothing to say??” She lifted her arms in the air.

Max found herself physically unable to speak, her mouth went so dry, her throat itchy and her tongue cemented to the floor of her mouth. She couldn’t vocalize the thousands of apologies that ping-ponged from one corner to another in her brain. She swallowed hard and somehow found her voice again, brittle and mellow, “I-I wanted… To tell you just not…Not like this.” She winced when her voice trembled a bit towards the end.

“Oh so you were waiting until you’re in motherfucking  _ Seattle  _ of all places to tell me huh?” 

“No! Never-”

“Go fucking figure!! Everyone lets me down in the end! First my dad gets killed, mom gets hitched to that step-fucker, then Rachel bails on me, now  _ you _ !! What the fuck?!” Chloe turns her back and holds her head, a frustrated sigh morphed into a growl underneath her breath as she made fists in her electric blue hair.

“C-Chloe, I didn’t…” Max held her breath, trying to organize her words. “My d-dad found a job in Seattle and he offered me to come along but I… I wanted to talk to you before I give him my final answer.” She explained, unable to read Chloe’s expression since her back was turned to her.

“I-I thought maybe I can just, visit for a short while and I could still keep in touch with you. I swear I would never leave you like that…”

“Great! So you had the whole fucking thing planned!” Chloe snapped. “You’re just gonna ditch me like your parents did to you!!”

As soon as these words left her mouth, Chloe immediately felt ten times as terrible to see Max’s expression drop, her mouth hung open, her pupils dilated momentarily as her lower lip quivered.

“Fuck…” Chloe mumbled in a weak whisper, her angry front dropped instantly and she kicked herself mentally for making Max rub her glossy eyes with the heel of her palms. “Baby, I…” Chloe looked around, panicking, she reached out to hold her but her hands felt greedy, unworthy of touching someone like Max. “I’m so fucking sorry, I’m so sorry!!” 

Max let out a shaky breath as she started to move past Chloe mumbling, “I need a break.” with a quiver to her voice.

“Wait, Max, fuck I didn’t mean-” Chloe placed a trembling hand on Max’s shoulder and she could feel her chest set on fire when Max ducked away from her with a low growl and thin black slits in her deep blue eyes. They paused, both girls unsure what to do anymore. Until Max stormed off in a hurry into the bathroom, locking herself in. She can hear muffled sobs and sniffles, unaware of the warmth that trekked down her cheeks and blurred her vision as her breath hitched in her throat. 

Chloe stood in her spot for what felt like ages, unable to register what just happened. Why she lashed out like that, why she went straight where it hurts, why would she ever say something like that to Max? And now the apartment was filled with silent cries coming from the smaller girl behind the bathroom door. And all Chloe could think about is how she fucked up. How she pushed Max away. How she’s the reason Max is breaking down by herself. And she felt a million daggers stab into her lungs, choking the breath out of her. She sighed shakily, running a hand through her hair and biting at her bottom lip. She felt nauseous, lightheaded, like her legs were about to give out. She can’t stay here, she has to go somewhere to blow off steam.

So Chloe wiped her tears and nose with her wrist, as she opened Max’s journal on the desk and wrote a note with haste. 

_ ‘Max, _

_ Sorry-’ _

She bit her bottom lip once more before scratching off the words, starting at another new line.

_ ‘Hey Max-’ _

_ What? You think it’s appropriate to go ‘Oh hey Max! Sup! Sorry for being a total asshole haha.’ after a big fight with your girlfriend? _

She scribbled all over it and started anew.

  
  


‘ _ Max, _

_ I’ll never forgive myself for hurting you the way I did just now. You don’t deserve any of this and I’m sorry. If you’d like to talk, I’ll be hanging around at the park.’ _

_ Ok.  _ Chloe’s hand trembled and she cursed at herself as another wave of tears rolled down her lower eyelid and across her pale cheeks.

_ ‘-Love you-’ _

_ Yeah right, as fucking if. Saying it for the first time in this kind of situation? Bullshit.  _ More scribbles over the words to the point the paper tore a little from wet ink. Max doesn’t deserve to be told this in a big fight. She deserves to hear these words over champagne, at the beach at sunset, with candles and blankets and all the goopy shit she’s into. Instead, Chloe opted for a  _ ‘- I’ll wait for as long as you need to. Take care. Chloe.’ _ and a little  _ ‘I’m sorry again.. _ ’ just underneath her name. 

She grabbed her keys and flannel, threw on her beanie and left the apartment, Max’s journal lie wide open on the desk.

Well, this is her fifth cigarette now and Max still didn’t call or show up.  _ Yep. She is definitely sick of your shit. She’s probably packing up right now.  _ Chloe’s foot tapped restlessly against asphalt as she sat like a statue on the bench watching people go about their day. She checked her phone for the gazillionth fucking time, her texts from Max as dry as her throat right now.  _ Maybe she’s taking a shower or she’s napping. She always does this when she’s upset.  _ Chloe’s foot tapped some more. She decided to take a walk around the park, but not too far away from the apartment so Max would see her if she ever came.

If she ever decided to talk with Chloe again.

She felt ill at the possibility of Max not showing up at all. What will she do then? Where would she go? Back to Joyce?  _ No fucking way. I don’t need step-stalker all up in my fucking business again. _

Kate’s too busy with her thesis, she’s probably too sleep deprived and exhausted to handle a fucked up Chloe right now. 

Steph seemed like a reasonable choice. 

Part of Chloe hung on to the hope that Max will turn up in a few minutes, or hours she doesn’t care really. But after a few hours of walking around or idly sitting by, the bitter truth was that Max was not ready to talk. Of course she wasn’t. Only then did Chloe realize the weight of the situation. 

Max did not want to talk. Max needed space, away from her.

She felt her heart sink heavier into her chest. Max’s not coming. 

Her shaky sigh carried ash with it as she pinched the cigarette between her middle and index finger while she pulled out her phone, looking for Stephanie’s number.

“Yo, Price!” The reply was almost instant.

“H-Hey Steph,” she winced at how her voice broke. She continued nevertheless. “Got a moment?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhhh im alive I swear I've just had a rough couple of months wheee  
> Also big thanks to my good bud Rainboq for betaing and helping me out SO much with this story! ;v; Go check out her work!  
> And thank you all for your continuous support 💙


End file.
